Traction system for an ambulatory support

ABSTRACT

A traction system for an ambulatory support such as a prosthetic foot blade or a crutch includes a sole plate, a latch assembly, and a strap. The sole plate is couplable to a distal end of the ambulatory support to extend under a bottom side of the ambulatory support and a latch assembly. The latch assembly includes a front catch and a rear catch both fixable at a top side of the ambulatory support with the front catch nearer to the distal end of the ambulatory support than the rear catch, and a lever having a front end and a rear end, the front end releasably latchable to the front catch and the rear end releasably latchable to the rear catch when the lever is pivoted about the latched front end. The strap is secured to the lever and to the sole plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional applicationSer. No. 17/198,190, filed Mar. 10, 2021, which claims the benefit ofpriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/004,698 filed Apr. 3,2020, and both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a traction system for anambulatory support such as a prosthetic foot blade or a crutch.

BACKGROUND

Ambulatory supports such as crutches and prosthetic legs and feet areused to provide support, stability and mobility. Prosthetic foot bladesare a particular prosthesis that can be connected to a prosthetic legand are typically elongated with a curved profile that terminates at adistal portion that functions as a foot. Athletes in particular useprosthetic foot blades configured to resiliently bend and flex duringrunning, for example. Similarly, some crutches have distal portions thatfunction as feet. The traction and cushioning requirements for differentterrain, walking, or running surfaces vary. Additionally, traction andcushioning requirements may vary according to running distance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only, areschematic in nature, and are intended to be exemplary rather than tolimit the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective partially exploded view of aprosthetic foot blade and a traction system for the prosthetic footblade, including a sole plate, a strap, and a latch assembly, with thelatch assembly in an unlatched state.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the traction system coupled to theprosthetic foot blade, shown in fragmentary view, with the latchassembly in a partially latched state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the traction system coupled to theprosthetic foot blade, shown in fragmentary view, with the latchassembly in a latched state.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the prosthetic foot blade.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the sole plate securedto the prosthetic foot blade, taken at lines 5-5 in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a crutch for use with any of thetraction systems herein.

FIG. 7 is a perspective side view of the latch assembly.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the latch assembly.

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of a first latch body of the latchassembly.

FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of a second latch body of the latchassembly of FIG. 4 , referred to as a latch cover.

FIG. 11 is a bottom perspective view of the latch cover.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the first latch body, showing a biasing memberin cross-sectional view, and a tension adjustment device for the strap.

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of front and rear catches of thelatch assembly.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the bottom of a latch base of the latchassembly.

FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of the sole plate.

FIG. 16 is a bottom perspective view of the sole plate secured to theprosthetic foot blade shown in fragmentary view.

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective of an outsole of the traction system ofFIG. 1 .

FIG. 18 is a bottom perspective view of a spike plate and spikes as analternative to the outsole for the traction system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary, partially exploded view of the prosthetic footblade and sole structure of the traction system of FIG. 1 with analternative outsole.

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary, partially exploded view of the prosthetic footblade and sole structure of the traction system of FIG. 1 with a spikeplate and spikes as an alternative to the midsole and outsole of FIG. 1.

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary perspective exploded view of a prosthetic footblade and an alternative traction system for the prosthetic foot blade,including a sole plate, a strap, and a latch assembly, with the latchassembly in an unlatched state.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a lever of the latch assembly of FIG.21 , a connecting ring, and the strap shown in fragmentary view.

FIG. 23 is a fragmentary perspective view of the traction system of FIG.21 coupled to the prosthetic foot blade, with the latch assembly in apartially latched state.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the traction system FIG. 21 coupled tothe prosthetic foot blade shown in fragmentary view, with the latchassembly in a latched state.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an alternative latch assembly for atraction system secured on a prosthetic foot blade shown in fragmentaryview.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of an alternative latch assembly for atraction system secured on a prosthetic foot blade shown in fragmentaryview.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an alternative latch assembly for aprosthetic foot blade traction system.

FIG. 28 is a plan view of a second latch body of a lever of the latchassembly of FIG. 27 .

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a first latch body of the lever of thelatch assembly of FIG. 27 .

FIG. 30 is a plan view of a latch mount of the latch assembly of FIG. 27.

FIG. 31 is a plan view of a third latch body of the latch assembly ofFIG. 27 .

FIG. 32 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of a prosthetic footblade, a sole plate of a traction system extending under the prostheticfoot blade, and a mount extending from the sole plate through anaperture in the prosthetic foot blade.

FIG. 33 is a bottom perspective and fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade and sole plate of FIG. 32 .

FIG. 34 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of a prosthetic footblade, a sole plate of a traction system extending under the prostheticfoot blade, and a mount fixed to a top side of the prosthetic footblade.

FIG. 35 is a bottom perspective and fragmentary view of a prostheticfoot blade and sole plate of FIG. 34 .

FIG. 36 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of a prosthetic footblade, a sole plate of a traction system extending under the prostheticfoot blade, and a latching assembly including a latch mount fixed to atop side of the prosthetic foot blade and a lever latched to the latchmount.

FIG. 37 is an exploded side view of a traction system for a prostheticfoot blade including a knob and a tether for the knob.

FIG. 38 is a top perspective view of the traction system of FIG. 37secured to a prosthetic blade shown in phantom.

FIG. 39 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of the prosthetic footblade and traction system of FIG. 38 with an alternative tether for theknob.

FIG. 40 is a perspective exploded top view of a prosthetic foot bladeshown in fragmentary view and a sole plate of a traction systemincluding an angled threaded tool and a knob fastenable to the tool.

FIG. 41 is a perspective exploded bottom view of the prosthetic footblade shown in fragmentary view and the sole plate of FIG. 40 showingthe angled threaded tool.

FIG. 42 is a fragmentary perspective top view of a prosthetic foot bladewith a knob mount and a knob captive to the mount.

FIG. 43 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken at lines 43-43 inFIG. 42 showing the knob mount and the captive knob.

FIG. 44 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of a prosthetic footblade with an internally-threaded boss for a fastener.

FIG. 45 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines 45-45 inFIG. 44 showing a fastener extending through the boss and securing asole plate to the prosthetic foot blade.

FIG. 46 is a rear perspective and fragmentary view of a prosthetic footblade with a rear hook.

FIG. 47 is a rear perspective and fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade of FIG. 46 with a sole plate secured to the prosthetic footblade at the rear hook.

FIG. 48 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of a prosthetic footblade with castellated side surfaces.

FIG. 49 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of the prosthetic footblade of FIG. 48 with a sole plate secured to the prosthetic foot bladewith a lace.

FIG. 50 is a top fragmentary view of a sole plate for a prosthetic footblade.

FIG. 51 is a fragmentary side view of the sole plate of FIG. 50 .

FIG. 52 is a fragmentary side view of a prosthetic foot blade configuredto be used with the sole plate of FIGS. 50-51 .

FIG. 53 is a top fragmentary view of an alternative sole plate for theprosthetic foot blade of FIG. 52 .

FIG. 54 is a fragmentary side view of the sole plate of FIG. 53 .

FIG. 55 is a rear perspective view of a prosthetic foot blade with alatch assembly.

FIG. 56 is a front perspective view of a sole plate configured to latchto the prosthetic foot blade of FIG. 55 .

FIG. 57 is a rear perspective view of the prosthetic foot blade of FIG.55 with the sole plate of FIG. 56 latched thereto.

FIG. 58 is a rear view of a prosthetic foot blade with a sole platelatched thereto by a latch assembly.

FIG. 59 is a front view of a prosthetic foot blade with a sole platelatched thereto by a latch assembly.

FIG. 60 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of a prosthetic footblade.

FIG. 61 is a front perspective view of a sole plate configured to secureto the prosthetic foot blade of FIG. 60 .

FIG. 62 is a top perspective view of the prosthetic foot blade of FIG.60 with the sole plate of FIG. 61 partially secured thereto.

FIG. 63 is a fragmentary perspective view of a prosthetic foot bladeshown in fragmentary view and in an unloaded state, and a tractionsystem coupled to the prosthetic foot blade including an alternativelatch assembly in a latched state.

FIG. 64 is a perspective view of a latch mount of the latch assembly ofFIG. 63 including a cover over an anchor portion of a latch base.

FIG. 65 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot bladeand latch assembly of FIG. 63 , with the prosthetic foot blade in arelatively unloaded state.

FIG. 66 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot bladeand latch assembly of FIG. 63 , with the prosthetic foot blade in arelatively loaded state.

FIG. 67 is a cross-sectional view of the latch mount of FIG. 64 taken atlines 67-67 in FIG. 64 .

FIG. 68 is an exploded view of the latch base, a compressible layer, anddouble-sided adhesive tape included in the latch mount of FIG. 67 .

FIG. 69 is a plan view of the latch base of FIG. 68 .

FIG. 70 is a plan view of an alternative latch base.

FIG. 71 is a plan view of an alternative latch base.

FIG. 72 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot bladeand traction system of FIG. 63 with the latch assembly in a latchedposition and including adhesive in a first arrangement mechanicallysecuring the anchor portion of the latch base to the prosthetic footblade.

FIG. 73 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot bladeand traction system of FIG. 63 including the alternative latch base ofFIG. 70 with the latch assembly in a latched position and includingadhesive in a second arrangement mechanically securing the anchorportion of the latch base to the prosthetic foot blade.

FIG. 74 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot bladeand traction system of FIG. 63 including the alternative latch base ofFIG. 71 with the latch assembly in a latched position and includingadhesive mechanically securing the anchor portion of the latch base tothe prosthetic foot blade.

FIG. 75 is a schematic perspective fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade of FIG. 63 and the latch mount of FIGS. 67 and 68 , showing astep of placing the latch mount at the prosthetic foot blade.

FIG. 76 is a schematic perspective fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade of FIG. 63 showing another step of securing the latch mountof FIG. 75 to the prosthetic foot blade by pressing the adhesive tapeagainst the foot blade.

FIG. 77 is a schematic perspective fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade of FIG. 63 showing another step of securing the latch mountof FIG. 75 to the prosthetic foot blade by mechanically securing theanchor portion of the latch body to the prosthetic foot blade withadhesive, with a hand shown in phantom.

FIG. 78 is a schematic perspective fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade of FIG. 63 showing another step of securing the latch mountof FIG. 75 to the prosthetic foot blade by further mechanically securingthe anchor portion of the latch body to the prosthetic foot blade bydisposing adhesive along edges of the anchor portion.

FIG. 79 is a plan view of an alternative latch base for a latch assemblyof FIG. 80 .

FIG. 80 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot bladeand traction system of FIG. 63 including a latch assembly in a latchedposition with the alternative latch base of FIG. 79 secured to theprosthetic foot blade.

FIG. 81 is a plan view of an alternative latch mount for a latchassembly of FIG. 82 including a split latch base shown with the frontand rear catches.

FIG. 82 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot bladeand traction system of FIG. 63 with a latch assembly in a latchedposition with the alternative latch base of FIG. 81 secured to theprosthetic foot blade.

DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to traction systems forambulatory supports such as prosthetic foot blades and crutches. Moreparticularly, traction systems disclosed herein are releasablyattachable to ambulatory supports to enable both secure retention to theambulatory support during use and relatively easy and quick removal toallow, for example, the use of different traction systems for differentactivities or on different ground surfaces.

In an example traction system for an ambulatory support, the tractionsystem may include a sole plate couplable to a distal end of theambulatory support to extend under a bottom side of the ambulatorysupport. The traction system may further include a latch assembly thathas a front catch and a rear catch both fixable at a top side of theambulatory support with the front catch nearer to the distal end of theambulatory support than the rear catch. The latch assembly may include alever having a front end and a rear end, the front end releasablylatchable to the front catch and the rear end releasably latchable tothe rear catch when the lever is pivoted about the latched front end.Such a latch assembly may be referred to as an off-center draw latch.The traction system may include a strap secured to the lever and to thesole plate and placed in tension when the sole plate is coupled to thedistal end of the ambulatory support and the lever is latched at thefront end and the rear end. The strap pulls the sole plate against thedistal end and the bottom side of the ambulatory support. Other solelayers may be secured to the sole plate to provide a ground-engagingsurface or the sole plate itself may provide the ground-engagingsurface. Particular ambulatory supports with which any of the tractionsystems disclosed herein may be implemented include prosthetic footblades and certain crutches (e.g., crutches having an elongate memberwith a curved distal portion having a distal end and serving as a footportion).

Other example features of an ambulatory support traction systemdisclosed herein may include the strap extending through the leverbetween the front end and the rear end. For example, the lever may haveopposing side walls each having an aperture disposed between the frontend and the rear end. The strap may extend through the lever at theapertures. In a different example latch assembly, a ring may be securedto the lever rearward of the front end, and the strap may extend throughthe ring. In another example, the strap may be secured to the bottomside of the sole plate between the sole plate and at least one solelayer (such as a midsole and/or an outsole) that is also secured at thebottom side of the sole plate and includes a ground-engaging tractionsurface.

The sole plate may include certain features, such as a front walldisposed forward of the distal end of the ambulatory support and a toecap extending rearward from the front wall over the top side of theambulatory support when the sole plate is secured to the ambulatorysupport. The front wall and toe cap act as a forward end barrier toproperly locate the ambulatory support on the sole plate during theattachment process. Additionally, a bottom wall of the sole plate may besufficiently flexible to move from a relatively flat state to arelatively curved state to conform with a curvature of the bottom sideof the ambulatory support when the strap is placed in tension. The soleplate will thus be placed in tension when the traction assembly islatched to the ambulatory support, decreasing the likelihood of anyjiggling of the sole plate against the ambulatory support and associatedrattle. The sole plate may also include integral side clamps that extendaround opposing sides of the ambulatory support and over the top side ofthe ambulatory support when the sole plate is coupled to the ambulatorysupport. The side clamps may provide sufficient clamping force to retainthe sole plate on the ambulatory support even when the latch assembly isunlatched. The bottom of the sole plate may also include recesses atwhich the strap is secured to the sole plate so that the strap ispartially housed in the recesses.

In another aspect, the latch assembly may include a latch base fixableto the top side of the ambulatory support with the front and rearcatches secured to the latch base. The latch base may be adhered orotherwise secured to the ambulatory support, and the catches may befastened to the latch base. The latch base may be relatively thin toenable some flexing with the underlying ambulatory support and to avoidadding stiffness to the ambulatory support. In some examples, the latchbase may be configured as a plate, such as a composite plate.Additionally, the latch base may have a larger surface area than if thecatches were directly attached to the ambulatory support, providing agreater bonding surface area to widely disperse pulling forces of thestrap. For example, a portion of the latch base may extend forward ofthe front catch along the top side of the ambulatory support. The latchbase may also extend further rearward than the rear catch, andtransversely outward of the catches.

Because the top side of the ambulatory support experiences compressivestress during dynamic loading of the ambulatory support, such as when awearer is moving forward with the ambulatory support in contact with aground surface, the latch base may be configured to reduce resultingcompressive stress and shear stress on the latch base in comparison to alatch base of uniform width and/or flexibility along its length. In anexample, the latch base may include a plate portion, an anchor portion,and a hinge portion flexibly connecting the plate portion and the anchorportion. The front and rear catches may be secured to the plate portion.The anchor portion may be fixed relative to the top side of theambulatory support and the hinge portion may be disposed above andunfixed to the top side of the ambulatory support when the latch base issecured to the ambulatory support. For example, the hinge portion may berelatively flexible and/or soft.

Because the latch base is disposed on the top side of the ambulatorysupport, it will experience compression during longitudinal bending ofthe ambulatory support, such as when loaded by a wearer during use. Thisconfiguration of a latch base more easily compresses because the hingeportion is unfixed to (e.g., floats over) the top side of the ambulatorysupport, as the ambulatory support flexes during use (e.g., bends alongits length). The hinge portion can easily flex in response, reducing theresistance to compression and associated shear forces on the latch basein comparison to a latch base configured as a flat plate along itsentire length (e.g., without a hinge portion).

The hinge portion may be at least partially spaced apart from the topside of the ambulatory support when the ambulatory support is in arelatively unloaded state. In an example, the hinge portion may besufficiently flexible so that it moves from a spaced apart position intocontact with the top side of the ambulatory support.

In an example, the hinge portion may be either or both of narrower andthinner than the plate portion and the anchor portion. Additionally, theanchor portion may be shorter than the plate portion. These featurespromote flexibility and reduce compressive stress experienced by thelatch base. The relatively narrow hinge portion (i.e., in transversewidth along the width of the ambulatory support) promotes flexibilityand relative movement of the plate portion and the anchor portion.

The hinge portion may include only a single strip connecting the plateportion and the anchor portion, or may include two or more strips spacedtransversely apart from one another and connecting the plate portion andthe anchor portion.

The latch base may comprise a composite material, such as at least oneof a carbon fiber composite or a glass fiber composite. In an example,the latch base comprises layers of composite material, with fewer layersat the hinge portion, resulting in its greater flexibility. For example,the latch base may comprise at least one layer of composite sheetmaterial at the hinge portion, and a greater number of layers ofcomposite sheet material at the anchor portion and at the plate portion.

The hinge portion may extend rearward from the plate portion over thetop side of the ambulatory support, and the anchor portion may bedisposed rearward of the hinge portion when the latch base is secured tothe ambulatory support.

In an implementation, a compressible layer may be secured to the bottomside of the plate portion and disposed at the top side of the ambulatorysupport plate when the latch base is secured to the ambulatory support.For example, the compressible layer may comprise foam. The compressiblelayer allows the plate portion to effectively float above the top sideof the ambulatory support as the compressible layer can resilientlycompress during longitudinal bending of the ambulatory support,minimizing the compressive force of the ambulatory support transferredto the plate portion.

In an implementation, the compressible layer may be unfixed to the topside of the ambulatory support and held against the top side of theambulatory support by tension in the strap when the lever is latched.For example, there may be no adhesive, fasteners, or other securingfeatures securing the compressible layer to the top side, with only thetensioned strap holding the compressible layer against the top side.Alternatively, the compressible layer may be secured to the top side ofthe ambulatory support to further secure the latch base to theambulatory support. In one example, a double-sided adhesive layer may bedisposed between the compressible layer and the top side of theambulatory support when the latch base is secured to the ambulatorysupport.

In an aspect, the mount may have through holes extending through thelatch base, and adhesive may extend through the through holes, and overat least a portion of a top surface of latch base when the latch base issecured to the ambulatory support. The adhesive may extend on the bottomside of the latch base, such as between the latch base and the top sideof the ambulatory support. With the adhesive extending not only betweenthe bottom side of the latch base and the top side of the ambulatorysupport, but also through the latch base and onto the top surface of thelatch base, the adhesive, when cured or otherwise in a final state, hasa structure that serves as a mechanical attachment, such as a fasteneror an end stop.

In a configuration of the latch base having the anchor portion, forexample, the through holes may extend through the anchor portion. Inanother aspect, adhesive may extend between the anchor portion and thetop side of the ambulatory support, and around an outer edge of theanchor portion when the latch base is secured to the ambulatory support.For example, the adhesive may thus serve as a mechanical end stop at theouter edge of the anchor portion. The outer edge may include a top edgeand side edges, and the adhesive therefore forming a three-sided orT-stop. In some examples, a cover may be secured over the anchorportion. The cover may serve to improve aesthetics, such as by coveringthe adhesive.

In an example, the latch base may be a flat plate along its entirelength, or may be the latch base with the flexible hinge portion asdescribed, and at least some of the through holes may be disposedforward of the front catch and/or at least some of the through holes maybe disposed rearward of the rear catch. Similar to the through holes inan anchor portion as described, the through holes disposed in thesepositions enable the adhesive to act as a mechanical stop. In an aspect,adhesive may be disposed along a front edge of the latch base forward ofthe front catch and/or along a rear edge of the latch base rearward ofthe rear catch when the latch base is secured to the ambulatory support.

In an implementation, the latch base may include a front section and arear section with a rear edge of the front section split from a frontedge of the rear section. Sectioning the latch base with such atransverse split lessens the length along the ambulatory support thateach section of the latch base divided by the split extends. Forexample, sectioning the latch base effectively splits the latch basefrom a configuration as a relatively long plate to two or more shorterplates. This reduces the compressive forces on each such section of thelatch base during dynamic loading of the ambulatory support, forexample.

A traction system for an ambulatory support may include a latch assemblyoperable to latch a sole plate to a distal end of the ambulatorysupport. The latch assembly may include a latch base fixable at a topside of the ambulatory support. The latch base may include a plateportion, an anchor portion, and a hinge portion flexibly connecting theplate portion and the anchor portion. The anchor portion may be fixablerelative to the top side of the ambulatory support and the hinge portionmay be disposed above and unfixed to the top side of the ambulatorysupport when the latch base is secured to the ambulatory support.

Various latch assemblies are disclosed herein. In one example, latchassembly, the front catch may define a front pocket opening toward therear catch and the rear catch may define a rear pocket opening towardthe front catch. The front end of the lever may include a front lipcaptured in the front pocket when the front end latches to the frontcatch and the rear end of the lever may include a rear lip captured inthe rear pocket when the rear end latches to the rear catch. The latchassembly may bias the front and rear end apart from one another (e.g.,biased apart along the length of the ambulatory support), to helpmaintain the ends in the respective catches when latched. For example,the lever may include a first latch body that includes the front end ofthe lever and a second latch body coupled to the first latch body andthat includes the rear end of the lever. The second latch body may covera substantial portion of the first latch body, and so may be referred toas a latch cover. A biasing member such as a compression spring mayengage the first latch body and the second latch body and bias the frontend apart from the rear end, with the front end movable toward the rearend to release the lever from the rear catch under an applied force(e.g., a force applied by the user) opposing a force of the biasingmember. Such a latch assembly may be referred to as a spring-loaded,off-center draw latch. The lever may include a grip protruding at therear end to help facilitate release of the lever.

In one implementation, the first latch body may include an intermediatewall disposed rearward of the front end, the second latch body mayinclude a protrusion disposed between the front end and the intermediatewall, and the biasing member may be disposed between the rear end andthe intermediate wall, biasing the intermediate wall against theprotrusion. To further interconnect the first and second latch bodies,the first latch body may have side walls and the second latch body mayhave side walls disposed adjacent to (e.g., outward of) the side wallsof the first latch body. The side walls of one of the first latch bodyand the second latch body may include flanges, and the side walls of theother of the first latch body and the second latch body may includeslots, with the flanges fitting within the slots.

The strap may be relatively inelastic in order to promote strong tensileforces in the strap that pull the sole plate firmly against the bottomside of the ambulatory support. In order to fine tune the tension in thestrap, the traction system may include an adjustment screw extendinglongitudinally within the lever and interfacing with the strap. Aposition of the adjustment screw may be adjustable to adjust tension inthe strap.

A further example traction system for an ambulatory support includes asole plate couplable to a distal end of the ambulatory support to extendunder a bottom side of the ambulatory support, an off-center draw latchassembly having a catch securable at a top side of the ambulatorysupport and having a lever releasably latchable to the catch, and astrap secured to the lever and to the sole plate and placed in tensionwhen the sole plate is coupled to the distal end of the ambulatorysupport and the lever is latched to the catch, the strap pulling thesole plate against the distal end and the bottom side of the ambulatorysupport.

Other example ambulatory support traction systems use attachment systemsother than latches. For example, a traction system for an ambulatorysupport may include a sole plate couplable to a distal end of theambulatory support to extend under a bottom side of the ambulatorysupport, and may further include an attachment system that includes athreaded post extending from the sole plate and a knob securable to anend of the threaded post. The ambulatory support may define a throughhole extending through the ambulatory support from the bottom side to atop side of the ambulatory support. The threaded post may extend throughthe through hole when the sole plate is coupled to the distal end of theambulatory support, and the sole plate is retained against the bottomside of the ambulatory support when the knob is secured to the threadedpost. In an example, a boss may extend from the top side of theambulatory support, the through hole may extend through the boss with alongitudinal axis of the through hole at an acute angle to the top sideof the ambulatory support.

For convenience, the traction system may include various features toretain the knob to the ambulatory support even when the knob is notsecured to the threaded post. For example, the traction system mayinclude a tether secured to the knob and securable to the top side ofthe ambulatory support to secure the knob to the ambulatory support. Inanother example, the traction system is configured so that the knob is acaptive knob. A boss may extend from the top side of the ambulatorysupport and the through hole may extend through the boss. The knob maybe retained by the boss regardless of whether the knob is secured to theend of the threaded post. For example, the knob may fit through thethrough hole but a shank portion of the knob may have a flange largerthan the through hole to retain the knob to the boss.

The above features and advantages and other features and advantages ofthe present teachings are readily apparent from the following detaileddescription of the modes for carrying out the present teachings whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should beunderstood that even though in the following Figures embodiments may beseparately described, single features thereof may be combined toadditional embodiments.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to likecomponents, FIG. 1 shows an ambulatory support 10 and a traction system12 shown detached from the ambulatory support 10. In the example shown,the ambulatory support 10 particularly is a prosthetic foot blade 10 andis referred to herein as such. It should be appreciated that any of thetraction systems herein that are disclosed herein for use with aprosthetic foot blade are equally applicable for use with a crutchhaving an elongate member with a distal portion, such as crutch 10A inFIG. 6 .

The traction system 12 includes a sole plate 14, at least one latchassembly 16, and at least one strap 18. The sole plate 14 may also bereferred to as a base or a tray, and forms a portion of a sole structure20. The strap 18 is secured to the latch assembly 16 and to the soleplate 14 as discussed herein.

The latch assembly 16 is particularly configured as a spring-biased,over-center draw latch and has a lever 16A shown detached from theprosthetic foot blade 10 in FIG. 1 , and a latch mount 16B secured tothe top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 even when the tractionsystem 12 is detached with the latch assembly 16 in the unlatched stateof FIG. 1 .

The strap 18 is placed or is placeable in tension as discussed hereinwhen the sole plate 14 is fitted to the prosthetic foot blade 10 and thelatch assembly 16 is latched to couple the sole plate 14 to theprosthetic foot blade 10, as shown in FIG. 3 . Because the tractionsystem 12 is configured to be easily and quickly secured to and removedfrom the prosthetic foot blade 10, the wearer can utilize differenttraction systems for different uses and activities when wearing theprosthetic foot blade 10. Only a portion of the prosthetic foot blade 10is shown near its distal end 38 (e.g., the portion that interacts withthe ground). The entire foot blade 10, including a proximal end of theprosthetic foot blade 10, is shown in FIG. 4 . The proximal end isconfigured to secure to a prosthetic leg by any mounting mechanism, suchas by a fastener that secures through one or more apertures 11 at theproximal end.

The traction system 12 may further include at least one sole layersecured or securable at the bottom side 21 of the sole plate 14 and atleast partially establishing a ground-engaging surface 22 of thetraction system 12. The traction system 12 of FIG. 1 particularlyincludes two or more sole layers secured or securable at the bottom side21 (also referred to as the second side) of the sole plate 14: anoutsole 24 establishing the ground-engaging surface 22, and a midsole 26secured or securable to the outsole and to the bottom side 21 of thesole plate 14. Additionally, in some implementations of any of thetraction systems disclosed herein, an interface layer particularlyconfigured to enhance grip and reduce slip may be provided at a top sideof the sole plate 14 to interface with the bottom side 27 of theprosthetic foot blade 10. For example, in the traction system 12, aninterface layer may be secured on the top side 14A of the sole plate 14,and may be a material such as a thermoplastic polyurethane. Othertraction systems that may be alternately attached to the prosthetic footblade 10 as disclosed herein include traction systems with a spikedplate, or with different outsole tread patterns, etc.

First and second ends (particularly being front and rear ends 28, 30,respectively, and referred to herein as such) of the lever 16A latch torespective first and second catches (particularly being front and rearcatches 32, 34, and referred to herein as such) of the latch mount 16B,retained at pockets 32A, 34A of the catches 32, 34 as further discussedherein.

The catches 32, 34 are secured or securable to a latch base 35, alsoreferred to herein as a latch base 35, that is fixed to the top side 23of the prosthetic foot blade 10. Additional features of the sole plate14 that help retain it to the prosthetic foot blade 10 particularlyinclude a toe cap 36 that at least partly fits over a distal end 38 ofthe prosthetic foot blade 10, and/or one or more integral side clamps 40that are arranged at (particularly extend around) lateral sides(particularly substantially opposing sides) 25 of the prosthetic footblade 10 and/or over the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10.

The sole plate 14 is coupled to the prosthetic foot blade 10 by slidingthe prosthetic foot blade 10 under the clamps 40 and substantiallytoward the toe cap 36 so that the sole plate 14 is at the bottom side 27of the prosthetic foot blade 10 with the toe cap 36 over the distal end38. The chamfer 13 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 shown in FIG. 5 anddiscussed herein particularly provides a lead in for the prosthetic footblade 10 in interfacing with the clamps 40, easing the forward slidingof the prosthetic foot blade 10 relative to the sole plate 14 duringsecurement of the sole plate 14 to the prosthetic foot blade 10. Theprosthetic foot blade 10 slides between the clamps 40 and the top side23 (also referred to as a first side) of the sole plate 14.

The sole plate 14 has a front wall 33 (see FIG. 5 ) substantiallydisposed forward of the distal end 38 of the prosthetic foot blade 10and the toe cap 36 substantially extending rearward from the front wall33 over the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 when the soleplate 14 is secured to the prosthetic foot blade 10. The front wall 33and/or the toe cap 36 act as a forward end barrier, stopping the forwardslide of the prosthetic foot blade 10 on the sole plate 14 to properlylocate the prosthetic foot blade 10 on the sole plate 14 during theattachment process.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10includes the chamfer 13 at the distal end 38. As shown in FIG. 5 , anangle B1 between a surface 13A of the chamfer 13 and a surface 38A ofthe distal end 38 is equal to or substantially equal to an angle B2between an inner surface 36A of the toe cap 36 and an inner surface 33Aof the front wall 33 of the sole plate 14. By way of non-limitingexample, the angle B1 could be from about 30 degrees to about 60degrees. In the example shown, the angle B1 is 60 degrees and the angleB2 is 60 degrees.

As shown, the toe cap 36 and front wall 33 define a cavity 37 into whichthe distal end 38 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 fits. The chamfer 13of the prosthetic foot blade 10 and the corresponding angle B2 of theinner surface 36A to the inner surface 33A particularly contribute to awedging of the prosthetic foot blade 10 to the sole plate 14 whentension is applied to the strap 18 as discussed herein, advantageouslyeliminating play that could be associated with a variation in athickness of the prosthetic foot blade 10 or a variation in dimension ofthe sole plate 14 at the cavity 37. Accordingly, the chamfer 13 of theblade interfitting with the sole plate 14 at the cavity 37 creates amechanical lock of the sole plate 14 to the prosthetic foot blade 10when tension is applied due to the strap 18 and the latch assembly 16.

Referring to FIG. 1 , when not secured to the prosthetic foot blade 10,the sole plate 14 may have only a slight curvature C1 or may berelatively flat at its top side 14A in the longitudinal direction incomparison to a greater curvature C2 of the prosthetic foot blade 10near the distal end 38 when the prosthetic foot blade 10 is not underdynamic compression. The sole plate 14 is sufficiently flexible to adoptto the curvature C2 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 when disposedthereon and latched thereto via the strap 18 and latch assembly 16,decreasing any likelihood of relative movement and associated rattle.For example, the sole plate 14 may be plastic. Alternatively, thecurvature C1 of the sole plate 14 may substantially match the curvatureC2 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 even when not secured to theprosthetic foot blade 10. Moreover, the flexibility of the sole plate 14allows it to flex with the prosthetic foot blade 10 during dynamicloading of the prosthetic foot blade 10 (e.g., with an increasedcurvature of the prosthetic foot blade 10 during dorsiflexion andtoe-off, such as when a wearer is moving forward with the prostheticfoot blade 10 in contact with a ground surface).

FIG. 2 shows the sole plate 14 fitted on the prosthetic foot blade 10with the latch assembly 16 in a partially latched state. The first(front) end 28 (see FIG. 1 ) of the lever 16A has been latched to thefirst (front) catch 32 and the lever 16A is being pivoted particularlyrearward about its front end 28 (e.g., in the direction of arrow A1)using the front catch 32 as a hinge joint. FIG. 3 shows the lever 16A ina fully latched state, tensioning the strap 18 which pulls the soleplate 14 against the distal end 38 and against the bottom side 27 of theprosthetic foot blade 10. The outsole 24 and the midsole 26 are notshown on the sole plate 14 in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 6 shows an ambulatory support that particularly is a crutch 10A.The crutch 10A includes an elongate member 29 that has a distal portion31 (e.g., a foot portion) with a distal end 38, a top side 23, a bottomside 27, and opposing sides 25 as described with respect to the samefeatures of the prosthetic foot blade 10 that are referred to with likereference numbers. Any of the traction systems described herein can beused with a crutch in like manner as described with respect to aprosthetic foot blade having the same features. As described withrespect to like crutch 100 in U.S. Pat. No. 10,064,781 issued Sep. 4,2018 to Clausen et al., and which is hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety, crutch 10A is configured to provide energy storage andreturn to a user during ambulation. The crutch 10A is designed toefficiently store and release energy produced during ambulation toimprove crutch assistance and ease of use. Additional crutches are alsodisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,064,781 and may be used with the tractionsystems described herein.

The crutch 10A includes the elongate member 29, an arm cuff 39 and ahand grip 41. The elongate member 29 particularly includes a proximalportion 43, a central portion 45 distally connected to the proximalportion 43 via a first transition section 47 and extending at an anglerelative to the central portion 45, and a curved distal portion 31distally connected to the central portion 45 via a second transitionsection 49. The arm cuff 39 is shown for use with a left arm, but a likecrutch 10A could have an arm cuff configured for use with a right arm.Any or all of the proximal portion 43, central portion 45, and thecurved distal portion 31 can be identical whether the crutch 10A is fora right arm or a left arm, or these components could be orientedmedially or laterally, respectively, to aid in ambulation.

According to some aspects, the elongate member 29 can be a single,shaped member. For example, the first and second transition sections 47,49 can include bends in the elongate member 29. In some aspects, theelongate member 29 can be a combination of two or more attachedportions. For example, the elongate member 29 can include one or morejoints that can connect one or more portions of the elongate member 29.

The arm cuff 39 is proximately attached to the proximal portion 43 andcan couple to an arm of a user or below the user's elbow. The hand grip41 is attached to and extends outwardly from the proximal portion 43 ata location distal of the arm cuff 39. In some examples, the hand grip 41can be attached to the first transition section 47 and/or the centralportion 45. In some instances, a hand grip is not included in the crutch10A but may be an optional attachment. The crutch 10A can include anaperture 51 disposed within the proximal portion 43 where the positionof the hand grip 41 is slidably adjustable along the aperture 51. Insome examples, the hand grip 41 can be locked into position after anadjustment is made.

The curved distal portion 31 can have an overall curved profile and canadvantageously absorb and release energy to assist in propelling theuser forward during use, thereby improving user performance. Forexample, responsive to vertical forces generated during ambulation, thecurved distal portion 31 can flex and provide energy return to the userat push-off. In some examples, substantially vertical forces generatedat the start of ambulation are stored and at least partly translatedinto a linear motion. This action reduces the need for the user toactively push his or her body forward using the crutch 10A and also canequalize stride length. In addition, it can provide for a more naturalgait and reduced crutching and/or walking effort.

The elongate member 29 can be made of a composite material (such as acarbon fiber composite, a glass fiber composite, or a carbon-glass fibercomposite). In some examples, the elongate member 29 can be made ofother suitable materials (e.g., metals, such as aluminum, steel, ortitanium).

FIG. 7 is a perspective side view of the latch assembly 16. The lever16A includes a first latch body 42 and a second latch body 44 coupled tothe first latch body 42. The first latch body 42 particularly includesthe front end 28 of the lever 16A. The first latch body 42 may be asingle (one-piece) body that forms the front end 28. Because the lever16A is pivoted under tension at the front end 28 during latching, thefirst latch body 42 may be made of a sufficiently strong material suchas but not limited to steel or aluminum.

Specifically, the second latch body 44 partly covers the first latchbody 42 when coupled to the first latch body 42, defining most of thetop surface of the lever 16A. Accordingly, the second latch body 44 maybe referred to as a latch cover. The second latch body 44 includes therear end 30 of the lever 16A (best shown in FIG. 10 ), and includes agrip 46 protruding at the rear end 30 when the lever 16A is latched atthe rear end 30.

A biasing member (such as a spring) 88 disposed between the latch bodies42, 44 (shown in FIG. 12 ) biases the front end 28 away from the rearend 30 along the longitudinal axis L (see FIG. 8 ) of the latch base 35and of the prosthetic foot blade 10 to which the latch base 35 issecured. Stated differently, the biasing member (spring 88) biases theends 38, 30 into the respective pockets 32A, 34A which captures the endsin the catches 32, 34 (see FIG. 7 ).

The grip 46 may be held such as by the wearer of the prosthetic footblade 10, and pushed toward the front end 28 to apply a compressiveforce to the biasing member (spring 88), moving the rear end 30 closerto the front end 28 to enable the lip 56 (see FIGS. 7 and 10 ) to clearthe rear catch 34 and move into the pocket 34A during latching, and,during unlatching, to move out of the pocket 34A. To unlatch, the rearend 30 of the lever 16A may then be pivoted forwardly about the frontend 28 in a direction opposite to arrow A1. When sufficiently pivoted, apulling force of the strap 18 on the lever 16A between the front andrear ends 28, 30 helps to move the front end 28, e.g., rearward, and outof the pocket 32A, allowing the front lip 54 (see FIG. 7 ) to clear ofthe front catch 32 to unlatch the lever 16A.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the latch assembly 16 and best shows that thelatch assembly 16 particularly is symmetrical about its longitudinalaxis L. The latch base 35 and catches 32, 34 fixed thereon particularlyare symmetrical about one or both of the longitudinal axis L and atransverse axis T perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L (shownsymmetrical about both the longitudinal axis L and the transverse axisT).

With reference to FIG. 13 , the front catch 32 defines the front pocket32A which opens toward the rear catch 34, and the rear catch 34 definesthe rear pocket 34A which opens toward the front catch 32. Each of thefront catch 32 and the rear catch 34 particularly are three-sided, witha transverse wall 48, two side walls 50, and a partial hood 52 thattogether form the pocket 32A or 34A. The side walls 50 of the frontcatch 32 particularly extend away from the transverse wall 48 toward therear catch 34 so that the front pocket 32A opens toward the rear pocket34A. The side walls 50 of the rear catch 34 similarly extend away fromthe transverse wall 48 of the rear catch 34 toward the front catch 32.

As best shown in FIG. 9 , the front end 28 of the first latch body 42includes a first lip (particularly front lip 54, and referred to hereinas such) that is shaped and sized to be captured in the front pocket 32Aof FIG. 13 so that the front end 28 latches to the front catch 32.Similarly, the rear end 30 of the second latch body 44 (also referred toas the latch cover) includes a second lip (particularly rear lip 56, andreferred to herein as such) (see FIG. 10 ) that is shaped and sized tobe captured in the rear pocket 34A of FIG. 13 so that the rear end 30latches to the rear catch 34. The front lip 54 has a cylindrical shapeto function as a pivot pin, with a center axis C that serves as thepivot axis of the lever 16A during latching and unlatching.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the rear lip 56 particularly has a flat uppersurface 56A that forms a ledge that abuts the inner side of the hood 52of the rear catch 34 shown in FIG. 13 . The flat upper surface 56Aparticularly maximizes contact area between the rear lip 56 and the rearcatch 34 to distribute forces and maintain the latched state.

Referring again to FIG. 9 , the first latch body 42 has opposing sidewalls 58, each having an aperture 60 displaced from (e.g., disposedrearward of) the front end 28 and between the front end 28 and the rearend 30 of the assembled lever 16A (shown in FIG. 7 ). An intermediatewall 80 extends transversely between the side walls 58 rearward of theaperture 60. When the strap 18 is secured to the sole plate 14 and thelever 16A, the strap 18 extends through the lever 16A at the apertures60 of the side walls 58 as shown, for example, in FIGS. 3 and 12 . Byconfiguring the lever 16A so that the strap 18 particularly appliesforce to the lever 16A approximately midway between the ends 28, 30,rather than at the rear end 30, the lever arm between the pivot axis atthe front end 28 and the pulling force of the strap 18 is shorter,requiring less torque to manipulate the lever 16A during latching.Additionally, the proximity of the strap 18 to the front end 28 helpsapply a forward and downward force of the strap 18 to wedge the frontend 28 forward into the front catch 32 better than would a latchassembly example in which the strap attaches to the latch assemblynearer to the rear end and/or further above the prosthetic foot blade 10in a latched position.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show that the second latch body 44 includes partial sidewalls 62 extending downward from a top wall 64. The side walls 62 haveone or more notches 66 that align with the one or more apertures 60 inthe side walls 58 of the first latch body 42 when the latch bodies 42,44 are coupled to one another. This particularly allows the strap 18 toextend through the apertures 60 without interference from the secondlatch body 44. The side walls 62 are spaced slightly further apart fromone another than are the side walls 58 so that the side walls 62 aredisposed adjacent to and outward of the side walls 58 in the assembledlever 16A.

The side walls 58 of the first latch body 42 particularly includeoutwardly extending flanges 68 near an upper extent of the first latchbody 42. The side walls 62 of the second latch body 44 form longitudinalslots 70 (e.g., open channels) at their inner sides. The slots 70 openat a forward edge 72 of the second latch body 44, and are closed by arear wall 74 of the second latch body 44 near the rear end 30. Theflanges 68 at least partly fit within the slots 70.

When the second latch body 44 is secured to the first latch body 42during assembly of the lever 16A, the forward edge 72 is positioned atthe rear end 76 of the flanges 68, and the second latch body 44 is slidforward along the flanges 68 at least until a protrusion 78 on thebottom side of the top wall 64 (see FIG. 11 ) passes over anintermediate wall 80 of the first latch body 42.

The intermediate wall 80 is disposed rearward of the front end 28 andforward of the rear end 30. The protrusion 78 particularly has an angledforward surface 78A that allows it to pass over the intermediate wall 80during assembly, but an orthogonal back surface 78B of the protrusion 78prevents backward travel of the protrusion 78 over the intermediate wall80.

The side walls 58 particularly have a protrusion 81 (best seen in FIG. 7) with a rounded surface 82 where the strap 18 interfaces with and pullsforward against the lever 16A to strengthen the side walls and avoidsharp corners at the interface with the strap 18. Additionally, eachside wall 58 particularly defines a notch 84 between the flange 68 andthe protrusion 81 through which a lower inner rim 86 of the side walls62 of the second latch body 44 (see FIG. 10 ) passes during assembly ofthe second latch body 44 to the first latch body 42.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the first latch body 42 with the strap 18extending through the side walls 58 at the apertures 60. A biasingmember 88 is shown that biases the front end 28 away from the rear end30 in the assembled lever 16A. The biasing member 88 particularly isshown and referred to as a compression spring 88 and, more particularly,as a compression-type coil spring. It should be understood that otherbiasing member(s) may instead or in addition be used such as a resilientrod, spring member, or the like. The coil spring 88 is disposed in achamber 90 of the first latch body 42 formed between the side walls 58and rearward of the intermediate wall 80.

The chamber 90 is partially cylindrical, with an open top. As best shownin FIG. 9 , the rear wall 92 of the first latch body 42 has an opening94 in the shape of a partial circle. The diameter of the coil spring 88is smaller than the diameter of the opening 94.

Once inserted in the chamber 90, a rear of the coil spring 88particularly interfaces with the inner side of the rear wall 74 of thesecond latch body 44, and a front of the coil spring 88 interfaces withthe rear face of the intermediate wall 80 of the first latch body 42. Inthis manner, the front end 28 of the lever 16A is biased apart from therear end 30 to help maintain the ends 28, 30 in the respective pockets32A, 34A in the latched position.

In the latched position, the rear wall 74 of the second latch body 44 isparticularly spaced apart from the rear wall 92 of the first latch body42 by the coil spring 88. The coil spring 88 also forces a forward faceof the intermediate wall 80 against the back surface 78B of theprotrusion 78 so that the protrusion 78 limits the longitudinalseparation of the front end 28 and the rear end 30.

To unlatch the lever 16A from the rear catch 34, a force on the grip 46toward the front catch 32 (e.g., in the forward direction) opposes thebiasing force of the spring 88 against the rear wall 74 and, if ofsufficient magnitude, can overcome the biasing force of the spring,compressing the spring 88 and sliding the second latch body 44 along theflanges 68 so that the rear wall 74 is closer to the rear wall 92,shortening the distance between the ends 28, 30 to release the lever 16Afrom the rear catch 34.

Referring to FIG. 12 , the latch assembly 16 particularly includes atension adjustment device 100 for the strap 18. The tension adjustmentdevice 100 includes an adjustment screw 101 extending longitudinallywithin the lever 16A and interfacing with the strap 18. The adjustmentscrew 101 extends longitudinally in the chamber 90 and through athreaded opening 102 in the intermediate wall 80. The intermediate wall80 itself may be threaded at the opening 102, or an internally threadedring 104 may be set in the opening 102 as indicated in FIG. 12 (the ring104 is not shown in FIG. 9 ).

At least a portion of the adjustment screw 101 has external threads thatengage the threaded opening 102. A rear end 105 of the screw 101 has asocket 106 at which the adjustment screw 101 may be engaged, e.g., witha tool to move the screw fore and aft along the longitudinal axis of thelever 16A. As shown in FIG. 11 , the second latch body 44 has a rearwindow 107 through which the socket 106 may be accessed.

A first end of the screw 101 (particularly being a front end 108, andreferred to herein as such) is at least partly covered by a plunger tip110 that contacts the strap 18. By adjusting the screw 101, a midportionof the strap 18 is pushed fore or aft in a forward chamber 113 of thefirst latch body 42 at the plunger tip 110.

Because ends of the strap 18 particularly are fixed to the sole plate 14as further discussed herein, moving the midportion of the strap 18 withthe adjustment screw 101 adjusts the tension in the strap 18. Forexample, moving the plunger tip 110 forward into the strap 18 pushes themidportion of the strap 18 forward, increasing tension. Moving theplunger tip 110 rearward allows the midportion of the strap 18 to alsomove rearward, decreasing tension. The magnitude of the adjustment maybe relatively small. For example, the adjustment device 100 may beintended to overcome small variances in tension related to productiontolerances in the length of the strap 18, a slight relaxing ordeformation of the strap 18 over time effecting its length, variances inplacement of the strap 18 on the sole plate 14 during assembly, or otherproduction variances. The strap 18 may be particularly a relativelyinelastic material, such as a tightly woven nylon webbing, plastic, asteel cable, or another material or combination of materials.

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of the front and rear catches 32,34 showing one or more fastener openings 112 sized and spaced to alignwith one or more fastener openings 114 in the latch base 35 of FIG. 14 .

One or more alignment features 116A of the catches 32, 34 align with oneor more corresponding alignment features 116B of the latch base 35 shownin FIG. 14 to position the catches 32, 34 prior to extending fastenersthrough the fastener openings 114 into the fastener openings 112.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the bottom surface 120 of the latchbase 35 that faces away from the catches 32, 34 when assembled to thelatch base 35. As shown in FIG. 14 , the one or more fastener openings114 particularly are beveled. This enables heads of the fasteners, suchas screws, used to connect the catches 32, 34 to the latch base 35 to berecessed into the latch base 35, enabling the bottom surface 120 topresent as flat at the top side of the prosthetic foot blade 10 whenfixed to the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10, such as byadhesive bonding.

As is evident by the positions of the fastener openings 114 and thefootprint of the catches 32, 34, the latch base 35 and its bottomsurface 120 extends forward, rearward, and/or outward of the catches 32,34. This provides a larger bonding surface and spreads forces of thetensioned strap 18 over a greater surface area than if the bottomsurface 120 were smaller. For example, a portion 35A of the latch base35, shown in FIG. 3 , extends forward of the front catch 32 along thetop side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10.

The latch base 35 may be relatively thin and flexible in order to flexwith the underlying prosthetic blade 10. For example, the latch base 35may be a carbon fiber material. Portions of the latch base 35 below thefootprint of the catches 32, 34 and the lever 16A are substantiallyprevented from flexing during use due to the overlying structure.Because the prosthetic foot blade 10 flexes and changes in curvatureduring use, the portions of the latch base 35 that extend forward,rearward, and/or outward of the catches 32, 34, such as the forwardportion 35A, that have no overlying structure can bend in conformitywith the bending of the prosthetic foot blade 10 to better ensure thebonded bottom surface 120 will not separate from the prosthetic footblade 10. By attaching the fasteners to the compliant latch base 35,components of the latch assembly 16 are able to move with the flexingfoot blade 10 and vibrations in the latch assembly 16 are minimized.

FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of the sole plate 14 showingrecesses 122 formed or otherwise provided in the bottom side 21. Therecesses 122 are of a depth and length to receive portions of the strap18. More specifically, the strap 18 is adhered to the sole plate 14 inthe recesses 122. Forward ends 124 of the recesses 122 are closer to thefront wall 33 of the sole plate 14 than to a rear wall 125. The recesses122 extend rearward and outward to side exits 126 at opposite sides ofthe sole plate 14 near the rear wall 125.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 16 , side walls 127 of the sole plate 14 reducein height (e.g., taper) in the rearward direction until they end at theexits 126 as shown in FIG. 16 . The side walls 127 increase in height ina forward direction from the exits 126 of the strap 18 toward the toecap 36. The side walls 127 act as side barriers extending up outward ofthe sole plate 14 to help center the prosthetic foot blade 10 over thesole plate 14. The sole plate 14 shown is symmetrical about thelongitudinal axis (e.g., an axis extending through the center of itsfront wall 33 to a center of the rear wall 125. Accordingly, the sidewall 127 shown is identical to a side wall on the other side of the soleplate 14. With the front wall 33 and opposing side walls 127, the soleplate 14 functions as a three-sided tray.

As shown in FIG. 16 , ends 18A, 18B of the strap 18 are disposed at theends 124 of the recesses 122. A single strap 18 is used in FIGS. 1, 2,12 and 15-16 , with a midportion 18C of the strap 18 extending throughthe lever 16A in FIG. 2 . Alternatively the strap 18 could be a loop,and the recess 122 could be continuous (e.g., without ends) at thebottom side 21 to accommodate the front of the loop. In yet anotherexample, two straps could be used, each extending from its respectiveend 18A, 18B to a separate end that is secured to the lever 16A afterextending into the lever through the respective aperture 60.

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective of the outsole 24 of FIG. 1 . Theoutsole 24 may be natural or artificial rubber or another flexible anddurable material capable of providing traction. The outsole 24particularly has a variety of protrusions 130 and channels 132 arrangedin a pattern as shown to increase traction and durability of thetraction system of FIG. 1 . A forward portion 24A of the outsole 24 isshaped to extend over the front wall 33 of the sole plate 14.

When the midsole 26 (see FIG. 1 ) and the outsole 24 are secured at thebottom side 21 of the sole plate 14, the recesses 122 are covered andthe portions of the strap 18 in the recesses 122 are sandwiched betweenthe midsole 26 and the bottom side 21 of the sole plate 14, or, inexamples without a midsole 26, between the outsole 24 and the bottomside 21 of the sole plate 14.

FIG. 18 is a bottom perspective view of a spike plate 224 with one ormore spikes 226. Specifically, two or more of the spikes 226 are locatedat or near the forward extent 226A of the spike plate 224 and act toenhance traction during toe-off. One or more of the spikes 226 may beintegrally formed with the plate, while another one or other ones of thespikes 226 may be fastenable to the spike plate 224. Alternatively, insome examples, all of the spikes 226 are integrally formed with thespike plate 224, or all of the spikes 226 are fastenable to the spikeplate 224. The spike plate 224 may be secured directly to the bottomside 21 of the sole plate 14 or, in some examples, a sole layer, such asa cushioning midsole, may be disposed between the sole plate 14 and thespike plate 224. In still other examples, the spike plate 224 may beintegrally formed as the bottom of the sole plate 14. The spike plate224 particularly may be plastic, and/or may include one or moretransversely-extending channels 232 that enable the spike plate 224 tobend with the prosthetic foot blade 10 during flexing of the prostheticfoot blade 10.

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary, partially exploded view of the prosthetic footblade 10 and the sole plate 14 and midsole 26 of the sole structure 20of FIG. 1 with an alternative outsole 324. The outsole 324 includes afirst (front) outsole portion 324A, and separate second (rear) outsoleportion 324B, both of which particularly may be a flexible and durablematerial, such as natural or artificial rubber. The front outsoleportion 324A is particularly secured to a bottom surface of the midsole26 and extends on and forward of the front wall 33 of the sole plate 14.The rear outsole portion 324B may be secured directly to the bottom side27 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 so that it is disposed just rearwardof the front outsole portion 324A when the traction assembly(particularly including the sole plate 14, midsole 26, front outsoleportion 324A, and a strap 18 and latch assembly 16 or other latchassembly) is coupled to the prosthetic foot blade 10. Alternatively, themidsole 26 and sole plate 14 may be long enough that both the rearoutsole portion 324B may be secured to the bottom surface of the midsole26 just rearward of the front outsole portion 324A.

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary, partially exploded view of the prosthetic footblade 10 and the sole plate 14 of the sole structure 20 of FIG. 1 with aspike plate 424 and spikes 426 as an alternative to the midsole andoutsole of FIG. 1 . In comparison to FIG. 19 , the spike plate 424 isused in lieu of the front outsole portion 324A, but the same or similarrear outsole portion 324B may be used. One or more of the spikes 426 maybe fastenable to the spike plate 424 while another one or other ones odthe spikes 426 may be integrally formed with the spike plate 424. Thespike plate 424 is secured to a bottom surface of the midsole 26.

The spike plate 424 particularly may be less flexible than the frontoutsole portion 324A, and so may not extend upward along the front wall33. The rear outsole portion 324B may be secured directly to the bottomside 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 so that it is disposed justrearward of the spike plate 424 when the traction assembly (particularlyincluding the sole plate 14, spike plate 424, and/or a strap 18 andlatch assembly 16 or other latch assembly) is coupled to the prostheticfoot blade 10. Alternatively, the sole plate 14 may be long enough thatthe rear outsole portion 324B may be secured to the bottom surface ofthe sole plate 14 just rearward of the spike plate 424.

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary perspective exploded view of the prostheticfoot blade 10 and an alternative traction system 512 for the prostheticfoot blade 10. The traction system 512 includes a sole plate 514, anoutsole 522, the strap 18, and/or a latch assembly 516. The sole plate514 is similar to the sole plate 14 and configured to couple to thedistal end 38 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 to substantially extendunder the bottom side 27, having a front wall 33 forward of the distalend 38, and a toe cap 36 extending from the front wall 33 rearward overthe distal end 38.

The sole plate 514 particularly also has one or more recesses 122 asshown with respect to sole plate 14 in FIG. 15 , and a strap 18 securedto the sole plate 514 in the recesses 122 and sandwiched between thesole plate 514 and one of more sole layers extending under a bottom sideof the sole plate 514. For example, the traction system 512 includes theoutsole 522 (only a portion of which is shown) that extends under thesole plate 514, establishing a ground-engaging surface.

The latch assembly 516 is shown in an unlatched state in FIG. 21 , andis configured as an over-center draw latch. The latch assembly 516 hasat least one lever 516A shown detached from the prosthetic foot blade 10in FIG. 21 , and at least one latch mount 516B secured to the top side23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 even when the traction system 512 isdetached with the latch assembly 516 in the unlatched state. The strap18 particularly is placed in tension as discussed herein when the soleplate 514 is fitted to the prosthetic foot blade 10 and the latchassembly 516 is latched to couple the sole plate 514 to the prostheticfoot blade 10, as shown in FIG. 24 .

A first latch body 542 includes a first (front) end 528 of the lever516A that is captured under and retained to front catch 532 of the latchmount 516B in the latched state. A second latch body 544 includes asecond (rear) end 530 of the lever 516A. In FIGS. 21 and 22 , a bottomside of the lever 516A is shown, and the lever is reversed from thatposition when latched, with the front end 528 disposed at the frontcatch 532 as shown in FIG. 23 and a rear end 530 near a front wall 534of a spring-biased button 535. The lever 516A is then pivoted rearwardabout a front lip 554 in the direction of arrow A2.

One or more flanges 568 of the first latch body 542 fit through one ormore notches 569 in the second latch body 544 and then interface withramped surfaces 537 (see FIG. 23 ) of arms 535A of the spring-biasedbutton 535. One arm 535A is shown in FIG. 21 extending under the notch569, and a like arm is disposed on the substantially opposite side ofthe button 535 extending toward the other notch 569. The arms 535A areretained in channels 570 under a top rim 586 of the second latch mount516B.

Under the force of the flanges 568 against the ramped surfaces 537, thearms 535A particularly slide rearward slightly with the button 535against the biasing force of a biasing member (such as a spring 588)disposed in a channel in the button 535. The spring 588 biases thebutton 535 away from a rear end wall of the latch mount 516B. Theflanges 568 particularly are then trapped under notches 571 (see FIG. 23) at the ends of the arms 535A when the lever 516A is completely pivotedand a manual force inserting the lever 516A is released. In thisposition, the strap 18 is tensioned as it is secured to the lever 516Avia a ring 519 engaged with the second end 530.

To unlatch the latch assembly 516 in order to remove the traction system512 from the prosthetic foot blade 10, the button 535 is pressedrearward against the force of the spring 588, causing the arms 535A tomove rearward and the flanges 568 to no longer be disposed within thenotches 571. The lever 516A can then be lifted at its rear end 530 andpivoted in a direction opposite A2 in FIG. 23 , with the flanges 568moving out through the notches 569. The front end 528 can then be slidout from (i.e., released from) the front catch 532.

The latch assembly 516 particularly also includes a tension adjustmentdevice 500 (see FIG. 22 ) that adjusts tension in the strap 18 when thelatch assembly 516 is latched. Unlike the traction system 12, the strap18 does not extend through the latch bodies 542, 544, but insteadextends through the ring 519 captured by the first latch body 542 nearthe rear end 530.

The tension adjustment device 500 particularly includes a threadedadjustment screw 501 substantially extending longitudinally within thelever 516A. Unlike adjustment screw 101 of FIG. 12 , the adjustmentscrew 501 does not interface with the strap 18, but instead interfaceswith an internal transverse wall of the first latch body 542 to adjustan overall distance between the front end 528 and the rear end 530 inthe latched position. Because the strap 18 is connected to the firstlatch body 542 via the ring 519, tension in the strap 18 is increased ordecreased via the tension adjustment device 500.

An end (rear end) 505 of the screw 501 particularly has a socket 506 atwhich the adjustment screw 501 may be engaged with a tool to move thescrew fore and aft along the longitudinal axis of the lever 516A. Asshown in FIGS. 22 and 23 , the second latch body 544 has a window (rearwindow 507) through which the socket 506 may be accessed.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an alternative latch assembly 616 for atraction system and is shown latched to the top side 23 of theprosthetic foot blade 10, with the ring 519, strap 18, and sole plate 14or 514 not shown. The latch assembly 616 functions as described withrespect to latch assembly 516, and has slightly different styling of theouter walls of the latch mount 516B.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another alternative latch assembly 716for a traction system and is shown latched to the top side 23 of theprosthetic foot blade 10, with a ring 719 for the strap 18, similar toring 519, and/or with the strap 18 and the sole plate 14 or 514 notshown. The latch assembly 716 functions as described with respect tolatch assembly 516, but with the notches 569 further toward the rear ofthe latch mount 716B, and/or with a release button 773 that overcomes abiasing member (such as a biasing spring) to release the flanges 568from under arms of the button, enabling the flanges 568 to be pivotedthrough the notches 569, allowing unlatching of the lever 716A. Theflanges 568 are not visible in FIG. 26 but extend from a first latchbody 742 that includes the front end, similar to lever 516A.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an alternative latch assembly 816 for aprosthetic foot blade traction system. The latch assembly 816 is shownin a latched state in FIG. 27 , and is configured as an over-center drawlatch. The latch assembly 816 particularly has at least one lever 816Aand at least one latch mount 816B to which the lever 816A is latchable.The latch mount 816B includes a latch base 835 and a mount body 847fixable to the latch base 835, and the latch base 835 is securable tothe top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 shown in FIG. 1 evenwhen the traction system is detached with the latch assembly 816 in theunlatched state.

The lever 816A includes a first latch body 842 (best shown in FIG. 29 )and a second latch body 844 (best shown in FIG. 28 ). The first latchbody 842 includes a front lip 854 at a front end 828 configured tofunction in the same manner as lip 554 of the lever 516A. The firstlatch body 842 also includes spaced side walls 858 that have outwardlyextending flanges 868 near an upper extent of the first latch body 842.The second latch body 844 has spaced side walls 862 that formlongitudinal slots 870 (e.g., open channels) at their inner sides. Theslots 870 open at a forward edge 872 of the second latch body 844, andare closed by an intermediate wall 874 extending inward from the sidewalls 862 between the forward edge 872 and a rear end 830 of the secondlatch body 844. The flanges 868 of the first latch body 842 particularlyfit within the slots 870.

When the second latch body 844 is secured to the first latch body 42during assembly of the lever 516A, the forward edge 872 is positioned atthe rear ends 876 of the flanges 868, and the second latch body 844 isslid forward along the flanges 868 at least until the forward edge 872is stopped at shoulders 867 of each side wall 858. One shoulder 867 isshown in FIG. 29 , and the first latch body 842 particularly issymmetrical about a longitudinal center axis of the first latch body842. The first latch body 842 has transversely-extending arms 869 thatare disposed under the flanges 868, forming a gap on either side of thefirst latch body 842 in which the inner rims 886 of the side walls 862are disposed. The arms 869 are thus under the side walls 862.

FIG. 30 shows the mount body 847 that is fixed or fixable to the latchbase 835 in FIG. 27 such as by one or more fasteners (not shown) thatextend through one or more fastener openings 812 spaced to align withone or more spaced fastener openings of the latch base 835 (the fasteneropenings of the latch base 835 are covered by the lever 816A in FIG. 27) Only two of the fastener openings 812 are shown, but there may be morein a bottom side of the mount body 847 under the side walls 881.

FIG. 31 is a plan view of a third latch body 849 of the latch assembly816 of FIG. 27 . The third latch body 849 particularly has a raisedbutton 849A and spaced longitudinal button arms 849B extending rearwardfrom the button 849A. Rear ends of the arms 849B have ramped surfaces837 at their upper side, similar to ramp surfaces 537 of the latchassembly 516.

The underside of the arms 849B particularly have downwardly-extendingprotrusions 849C (e.g., protrusions going into the page in FIG. 31 ),creating a notch 871 at a forward end of each arm 849B (e.g., forward ofthe protrusion 849C and under the ramped surface 837). The mount body847 particularly forms channels 847A extending from a front edge 847B toapertures 847C formed in the mount body 847. The longitudinal arms 849Bat least partly fit within the channels 847A and can be slid rearward inthe channels 847A from the front edge 847B so that the protrusions 849Cextend downward in the apertures 847C. The mount body 847 forms a recess847D extending from a rear edge 847E to a front catch 832 formed by themount body 847.

When the lever 816A is being latched by placing the lip 854 of firstlatch body 842 in the catch 832 and pivoting the lever 816A rearward anddownward about the lip 854, the lever 816A fits in the recess 847D withstrap-connection arms 844A extending rearward of the recess 847D. Eachof the strap-connection arms 844A defines a three-sided slot 819 thatopens toward the latch base 835. The strap 18 is threaded through theslots 819 to extend through the lever 816A near a rear end 830 of thelever 816A.

A guide plate 831 particularly is secured to the second latch body 844between the slots 819 to help guide the strap 18 between the slots 819.When the sole plate 14 with the strap 18 secured thereto is latched tothe prosthetic foot blade 10 by the latch assembly 816, the tension ofthe strap 18 wedges the lip 854 into the front catch 832.

The ends of the arms 849B are disposed so that, during latching, thearms 869 of the first latch body 842 particularly slide on the rampedsurfaces 837 and are captured in the notches 871 under the button arms849B with the protrusions 849C interfacing with the forward faces of thearms 869 of the first latch body 842.

Additionally, a biasing member such as a compression spring 888 isdisposed in a channel of the button 849A and/or is compressed between awall of the button 849A and structure of the mount body 847 that extendsinto the channel of the button 849A when the button is pushed forward(e.g., downward in FIG. 27 ). The spring force of the spring 888 biasesthe arms 869 against the protrusions 849C of the arms 849B.

The button portion 849A particularly functions as a release button. Whenthe button 849A is pushed forward (e.g., toward the distal end of theprosthetic foot blade 10 when the latch assembly 816 is secured to theprosthetic foot blade 10), the button arms 849B slide with the button849A, releasing the arms 869 from the notches 871 which allows the lever816A to be pivoted forward about the lip 854 and lifted away from themount body 847 to unlatch the latch assembly 816.

Specifically, the latch assembly 816 includes a tension adjustmentdevice like tension adjustment device 500 described with respect tolatch assembly 516, including a threaded adjustment screw extendinglongitudinally within the lever 816A (e.g., within a channel 894 of thefirst latch body 842 shown in FIG. 29 ) and interfacing with an internaltransverse wall 880 of the first latch body 842 (shown with hidden linesin FIG. 29 ) to adjust an overall distance between the front end 828 andthe rear end 830 in the latched position. Because the strap 18 isconnected to the second latch body 844 via the slots 819, tension in thestrap 18 is increased or decreased via the tension adjustment device. Arear end of the screw has a socket at which the adjustment screw may beengaged with a tool to move the screw fore and aft along thelongitudinal axis of the lever 816A. As shown in FIG. 28 , the secondlatch body 844 has a rear window 807 through which the socket may beaccessed.

FIG. 32 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of an ambulatorysupport (particularly in the form of a prosthetic foot blade 910) and asole plate 914 of a traction system extending under the prosthetic footblade 910 and around and over a distal end 38 of the prosthetic footblade 910.

FIG. 33 is a bottom perspective and fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade 910 and sole plate 914 of FIG. 32 . The prosthetic foot blade910 has a through hole 913 extending entirely through the prostheticfoot blade 910 from the bottom side 27 to the top side 23. The soleplate 914 has at least one mount 917 that extends from the top surfaceof the sole plate 914 through the through hole 913, with a portion ofthe mount 917 protruding above the sole plate 914.

The protruding portion of the mount 917 may be configured to connect toa latch assembly (not shown) to secure the latch assembly at the topside 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 910 with the strap 18 connected tothe latch assembly and the sole plate 914. For example, a fasteneropening may extend through the protruding portion to attach a latchassembly to the protruding portion. In this manner, different latchassemblies, such as different spring-biased draw latch assemblies, maybe used with the prosthetic foot blade 910 and the sole plate 914 totension the strap 18 and secure the sole plate 914 at the distal end 38and the bottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 910. Alternatively,in some implementations, the mount 917 could instead function as a strapmount, with a slot in the mount 917 configured to receive the strap 18when the sole plate 914 is coupled to the prosthetic foot blade 910.

FIG. 34 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of an ambulatorysupport (particularly in the form of a prosthetic foot blade 1010), asole plate 1014 of a traction system extending under the prosthetic footblade 1010, and a mount 1017 fixed to a top side 23 of the prostheticfoot blade 1010. The sole plate 1014 is shown extending under a bottomside 27 (see FIG. 35 ) of the prosthetic foot blade 1010 and around andover a distal end 38 of the prosthetic foot blade 1010. The sole plate1014 has slots 1015 near opposite sides of the sole plate 1014 and nearthe proximal edge 1039 of the sole plate 1014 as shown in FIG. 35 . Asingle strap 18 or two separate straps 18 may extend through the slots1015 and under a protruding portion of the mount 1017 (e.g., between themount 1017 and the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 1010) tosecure the sole plate 1014 to the prosthetic foot blade 1010.Alternatively, a latching assembly could be secured to the latch mount1017 and the straps 18 could secure to the latching assembly.

FIG. 36 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of the prosthetic footblade 1010, with a traction system 1012 that includes the sole plate1014 (shown only partially secured to the prosthetic foot blade 1010)and a latch assembly 1016. The latch assembly 1016 includes a latchmount 1016B fixed to a top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 1010 anda lever 1016A latched to the latch mount 1016B. More specifically, afront lip 54 of a first latch body 1042 of the lever 1016A is capturedin a front catch 1032 similar to front catch 32 capturing the lip 54 ofthe lever 16A.

A second latch body 1044 is secured to the first latch body 1042according to any manner discussed with respect to the first latch bodysecured to the second latch body of any of the latch assembliesconfigured as spring-biased draw latches as discussed herein, and has arear end 1030 biased apart from the front end 28 by a biasing membersuch as any of the springs discussed herein. The second latch body 1044has lateral wings 1045 each having a slot-like through hole 1045Aextending therethrough. The strap 18 (not shown in FIG. 36 ) may extendfrom the slots 1015 of the sole plate 1014 and through the through holes1045A of the second latch body 1044, which will pull the sole plate 1014against the bottom side of the prosthetic foot blade 1010. Securing thelatch assembly 1016 thus tensions the strap 18.

FIG. 37 is an exploded side view of a traction system 1112 for anambulatory support (particularly in the form of a prosthetic foot blade1110). The traction system 1112 includes a sole plate 1114 configuredsimilarly to sole plate 14 except having an externally-threaded post1135 extending from the top side 1029 of the sole plate 1014.

The traction system 1112 also includes at least one internally-threadedsecuring member, such as an internally-threaded knob 1116, and/or atleast one tether 1118 to retain the knob to the prosthetic foot blade1110. The sole plate 1114 is couplable to the distal end 38 of theprosthetic foot blade 1110 to extend under a bottom side of theprosthetic foot blade 1110 and forward of and partially over the distalend 38. The knob 1116 is securable to the externally-threaded post 1135by threading an internally-threaded opening 1117 in a shank portion1116A of the knob 1116 onto the post 1135 by turning the handle portion1116B of the knob 1116 after the sole plate 1114 is coupled at thedistal end 38.

The prosthetic foot blade 1110 defines at least one through hole 1113extending through the prosthetic foot blade from the bottom side to atop side of the prosthetic foot blade 1110. The threaded post 1135extends through the through hole 1113 and at least partly into the shankportion 1116A of the knob 1116 when the sole plate 1114 is coupled tothe distal end 38 of the prosthetic foot blade 1110. The sole plate 1114is retained against the bottom side of the prosthetic foot blade 1110when the knob 1116 is secured to the threaded post 1135.

To help retain the knob 1116 to the prosthetic foot blade 1110, such aswhen fastening and unfastening the knob 1116, the traction system 1112particularly includes a tether 1118 with a first aperture 1118A throughwhich the shank portion 1116A of the knob 1116 extends. The ring 1120formed by the tether 1118 around the aperture 1118A may be seated in anannular groove 1116C (see FIG. 37 ) in the exterior surface of the shankportion 1116A of the knob 1116. The ring 1122 formed by the tether 1118around the aperture 1118B may be secured to the prosthetic foot blade1110 with a fastener 1124 such as a bolt or snap that fastens to anotherfastener or fastener portion secured to the prosthetic foot blade 1110as shown in FIG. 38 . In this manner the tether 1118 is held to theprosthetic foot blade 1110 at the ring 1122, and the knob 1116 is heldto the tether 1118, during securing and unsecuring of the knob 1116 tothe threaded post 1135.

FIG. 39 shows another example of a tether 1218 that could be used withthe knob 1116 of FIGS. 37-38 to secure the knob 1116 to the prostheticfoot blade 1110. The tether 1218 is fastened to the top side of theprosthetic foot blade 1110 with a fastener 1137 that extends through astrap portion 1218C of the tether 1218. The strap portion 1218C isconfigured with a permanent fold 1219 that doubles the strap portion1218C back toward the threaded post 1135 so that the knob 1116 isretained in the vicinity of the post 1135. A ring 1218A shown has agripping feature in the form of radially extending ribs that interferewith a similar gripping feature on the knob 1116 to help preventunintentional loosening of the knob 1116. In FIG. 39 , a portion of ahand 1119 is shown in phantom lifting the tether 1218 at the fold 1219.

FIG. 40 is a perspective exploded top view of an ambulatory support(particularly in the form of a prosthetic foot blade 1310) shown infragmentary view and a sole plate 1314 of a traction system 1312particularly including at least one angled threaded tool 1335, such asan externally-threaded post, and at least one internally-threadedsecuring member (such as internally-threaded knob 1316) fastenable tothe tool 1335. A boss 1341 extends from the top side of the prostheticfoot blade 1310, and a through hole 1313 through the prosthetic footblade 1310 also extends through the boss 1341, with a longitudinal axisLA of the through hole 1313 at an acute angle B to the top side 23 ofthe prosthetic foot blade 1310 (taken where the through hole 1313extends past the top side 23). Stated differently, the through hole 1313is tilted rearward relative to the prosthetic foot blade 1310 from thetop side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 1310 to the knob 1316.

As shown in FIG. 41 , the through hole 1313 particularly is an elongatedopening extending along the length of the prosthetic foot blade 1310, inorder to enable easy insertion of the angled threaded tool 1335 into thethrough hole 1313. Because of the rearward tilt of the angled threadedtool 1335, when the knob 1316 is tightened on the tool 1335, the tool1335 will pull the sole plate 1314 rearward (e.g., away from the distalend 38), tightening the sole plate 1314 against the distal end 38 andthe bottom side of the blade 1310.

FIG. 42 is a fragmentary perspective top view of the prosthetic footblade 1310 with the boss 1341 and the securing member (knob 1316)captive to the boss 1341. As best shown in FIG. 43 , the shank portion1316A of the knob 1316 has external threads 1360, and the knob 1316includes a ring 1361 with internal threads 1362 that secure to the shankportion 1316A at the external threads 1360. The ring 1361 may bethreaded to the knob 1316 from below the prosthetic foot blade 1310through the through hole 1315, which is circular or shaped sufficientlylarge to allow insertion of the ring 1361. With the ring 1361 secured tothe shank portion 1316A in the through hole 1315, the ring 1361 forms aflange 1365 that is larger than the knob opening 1366 to retain the knob1316 to the boss 1341 even when a threaded tool such as threaded post1135 is not threaded to the knob 1316 at the threaded opening 1117.

FIG. 44 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of an ambulatorysupport (particularly in the form of a prosthetic foot blade 1410). Theprosthetic foot blade 1410 has at least one slot 1439 at a distal end1438 particularly creating a split toe that enhances flexibility of theprosthetic foot blade 1410.

An internally-threaded boss 1441 is mounted or mountable to orintegrally-formed at a top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 1410.The internally-threaded boss 1441 has a through hole 1413 that extendsat an angle through the boss 1441 and forward from the top side 23 tothe bottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 1410, creating anoval-shaped opening at the boss 1441. A traction system 1412 for theprosthetic foot blade 1410 includes a sole plate 1414 that has anopening 1415 configured to align with the opening of the through hole1413 at the bottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 as shown inFIG. 45 .

The opening 1415 receives an end of an externally-threaded fastener 1417when the sole plate 1414 is fit over the distal end 1438, with thefastener 1417 engaging the boss 1441, the blade 1410, and the sole plate1414 to secure the sole plate 1414 against the distal end 1438 and thebottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 1410. The sole plate 1414may have spike mounts at a bottom side to receive spikes, or an outsolethat secures to the sole plate 1414 at the bottom side may have mountsthat receive spikes. The fastener 1417 may be configured so that thesame tool may be used to tighten and loosen the fastener 1417 as well asthe spikes.

FIG. 46 is a rear perspective and fragmentary view of an ambulatorysupport (particularly in the form of a prosthetic foot blade 1510) thathas at least one rear hook 1516 secured to or arranged at the bottomside 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 1510. A traction system 1512 forthe prosthetic foot blade 1510 includes a sole plate 1514 and the rearhook 1516.

As shown in FIG. 47 , the sole plate 1514 is configured to fit over adistal end 1538 of the prosthetic foot blade 1510 with an attachmentportion 1518 at a rear extent of the sole plate 1514 having at least oneaperture 1520 at which the attachment portion 1518 fits over and hooksto the at least one respective rear hook 1516 to secure the sole plate1514 against the distal end 1538 and/or against the bottom side 27 ofthe prosthetic foot blade 1510.

The rear hook 1516 particularly has a triangular or pointed shapemounted at its base 1516A closest to the distal end 1538 to create a gap1519 disposed between the bottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade1510 and the rear hook 1516 and extending from the apex 1516B to thebase 1516A. The attachment portion 1518 at least partly fits in the gap1519 and may be slightly elastic, for example, to stretch over the apex1516B during attachment and removal of the sole plate 1514.

FIG. 48 is a top perspective and fragmentary view of an ambulatorysupport (particularly in the form of a prosthetic foot blade 1610) thathas one or more castellated side surfaces 1629. More specifically, aseries of regularly or irregularly spaced recesses 25A extend from thetop side 23 to the bottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 1610 atone or both sides, particularly at each of the sides 25, near the distalend 1638 of the prosthetic foot blade 1610.

FIG. 49 shows a traction system 1612 for the prosthetic foot blade 1610that includes a sole plate 1614 fit against the bottom side 27 and thedistal end 1638 of the prosthetic foot blade 1610. The sole plate 1614extends under the bottom side 27 and around the side surfaces 1629,terminating at top flanges 1631 that extend inward, creating a throat.Each flange 1631 has an aperture 1633.

At least one lace or other tensioning member 1616 is or may be routedthrough the apertures 1633 and has ends 1616A, 1616B that may be securedto the blade 1610 or tied to one another to secure the lace 1616 andtighten the sole plate 1614 against the prosthetic foot blade 1610.

Specifically, the flanges 1631 are generally aligned with the recesses25A so that tightening the lace 1616 cinches the sole plate 1614 intothe recesses 25A, the recesses functioning as waists that prevent thesole plate 1614 from slipping downward off of the distal end 1638 duringuse.

FIG. 50 is a top fragmentary view of a traction system 1712 with a soleplate 1714 configured to be secured at a distal end 1738 of theprosthetic foot blade 1710 of FIG. 52 . The sole plate 1714 particularlyincludes a top cover portion 1731 that has an exterior surface 1732 withtransverse flex grooves 1734. The top cover portion 1731 creates acavity 1737 above a top side 1714A of the sole plate 1714. A bottom orexterior side of the sole plate 1714 serves as an outsole 1724 and/ormay be configured with various protrusions for a desired tractivecapability. As shown in FIG. 52 , the prosthetic foot blade 1710particularly has a form 1720 near the distal end 1638 that is configuredto at least partly fit within the cavity 1737 indicated in FIG. 51 .

The top cover portion 1731 may have some flexibility to fit over theform 1720 with a tension fit. The top side 1714A of the sole plate 1714may have features that interfit with complementary features at thebottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 1710. For example, the topside 1714A may have one or more protrusions that at least partly fitinto one or more cavities at the bottom side 27 of the prosthetic footblade 1710.

Specifically, a tip 1739 of the cover portion 1731 may be used forpulling the sole plate 1714 onto and off of the prosthetic foot blade1710. The one or more flex grooves 1734 promote flexibility of the topcover portion 1731 in the longitudinal direction to match the flexing ofthe prosthetic foot blade 1710 during use.

FIG. 53 is a top fragmentary view and FIG. 54 is a fragmentary side viewof a traction system 1812 with an alternative sole plate 1814 for anambulatory support (particularly for an ambulatory support in the formof a prosthetic foot blade 1710 of FIG. 52 ). Like the sole plate 1714,the sole plate 1814 includes a top cover portion 1831. The top coverportion 1831 may include a rand 1831A of a relatively stiff material forextra support around a lower extent of the top cover portion 1831.

A bottom side of the sole plate 1814 serves as an outsole 1824 and/ormay be configured with various protrusions for a desired tractivecapability. The cover portion 1831 particularly defines a cavity 1837similar to cavity 1737 over a top side 1814A of the sole plate 1814. Theform 1720 of the prosthetic foot blade 1710 fits in the cavity 1837.

At least one tensioning member such as a lace 1816 particularly extendsthrough one or more loops 1833 that form lace-receiving apertures.Specifically, a cord lock toggle fastener 1818 may lock the lace 1816 inplace to secure the sole plate 1814 to the prosthetic foot blade 1710,and/or may be depressed to allow the lace 1816 to be loosened to releasethe sole plate 1814 from the prosthetic foot blade 1710.

FIG. 55 is a rear perspective view of the prosthetic foot blade 10 asdescribed herein with at least one latch assembly 1916 mounted on thebottom side 27. The latch assembly 1916 particularly includes at leastone latch mount 1935 mounted to the bottom side 27, a first latch body1942 with a hooked end 1942A, and a second latch body 1944.Specifically, the latch assembly 1916 is shown in a latched positionwith the second latch body 1944 pivoted rearward. To unlatch the latchassembly 1916, the end 1944A of the second latch body 1944 can be liftedand pushed forward, pivoting the second latch body 1944 about a pivotaxis PA, and causing the first latch body 1942 to move toward the distalend 38.

A traction system 1912 for the prosthetic foot blade 10 includes thesole plate 1914 of FIG. 56 and the latch assembly 1916. The sole plate1914 particularly has at least one aperture 1945 near a proximal end1929 of the sole plate 1914, as shown in FIG. 56 . Specifically, thesole plate 1914 is configured so that when the distal end 38 of theprosthetic foot blade 10 fits against the inner surface of the frontwall 33 of the sole plate 1914 with the toe cap 36 extending partiallyover the top side 23, the hooked end 1942A can extend through theaperture 1945.

When the second latch body 1944 is pivoted to or toward the latchedposition of FIG. 55 , the hooked end 1942A catches an edge 1914A of thesole plate 1914 at the aperture 1945, substantially drawing the soleplate 1914 upward and against the bottom side 27 of the prosthetic footblade 10 to secure the sole plate 1914 against the distal end 38 and thebottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 as shown in FIG. 57 .

A midportion 1914B of the sole plate 1914 may be thinner and/or moreflexible than a portion 1914C to which an outsole (not shown) isattached in order to promote easy securement of the latch assembly 1916to the sole plate 1914 and/or the ability of the sole plate 1914 to flexwith the prosthetic foot blade 10 during use.

FIG. 58 is a rear view of an ambulatory support (particularly in theform of a prosthetic foot blade 10) with a traction system 2012 thatincludes at least one latch assembly 2016 and a sole plate 2014. Thelatch assembly 2016 is mounted or mountable to the bottom side 27 of theprosthetic foot blade 10 and is shown in a latched position securing asole plate 2014 and/or pulling the sole plate 2014 against the distalend 38 and the bottom side 27.

Specifically, the sole plate 2014 includes at least one ribbed strapportion 2014A at or near a proximal end. The latch assembly 2016includes at least one latch body 2042 interfacing with the strap portion2014A and/or that interfits with a latch body 2044 fixed to theprosthetic foot blade 10.

At least one release 2046 is depressible to release the strap portion2014A from the latch assembly 2016. The sole plate 2014 includes atleast one ribbed portion 2014B that increases the ability of the soleplate 2014 to flex with the prosthetic foot blade 10 during use.

FIG. 59 is a front view of an ambulatory support (particularly in theform of a prosthetic foot blade 10) and a traction system 2112 for theprosthetic foot blade 10 that includes a sole plate 2114 and a latchassembly 2116 secured to the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade10. The sole plate 2114 is shown latched to the prosthetic foot blade 10by the latch assembly 2116.

Specifically, the latch assembly 2116 includes a transverse bar 2116Athat is drawn substantially inward against the top side 23 and/orrearward when a latch body 2142 is pivoted rearward about a pivot ais PArelative to a latch mount 2135 to which the latch body 2142 is pivotablymounted. The sole plate 2114 has one or more stepped shoulders 2118 thatextend at the sides 25 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 above the topside 23. The stepped shoulders 2118 particularly have one or moreforward hooked portions 2118A that hook to the transverse bar 2116A sothat the transverse bar 2116A pushes the sole plate 2114 rearward andupward against the distal end 38 and the bottom side 27 of theprosthetic foot blade 10. The sole plate 2114 also has castellated sidewalls 2114A.

FIG. 60 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of an ambulatory support(particularly in the form of a prosthetic foot blade 10) that has one ormore circular through holes 2213A near the distal end 38 and/or one ormore slotted through holes 2213B further from the distal end 38 than thethrough holes 2213B. The one or more slotted through holes 2213B areelongated in a direction along the length of the prosthetic foot blade10.

FIG. 61 is a front perspective view of a traction system 2212 for theprosthetic foot blade 10. The traction system 2212 includes a sole plate2214 configured to secure to the prosthetic foot blade 10 of FIG. 60 .The sole plate 2214 has externally-threaded posts 2235 extending fromthe top side 2229 of the sole plate 1014. Additionally,internally-threaded knobs 2216 are retained by tethers 2218 near eachpost 2235. The posts 2235 are spaced apart from one another in likespacing as the through holes 2213A, 2213B so that the posts 2235 extendthrough the through holes 2213A, 2213B when the sole plate 2214 ispositioned at the bottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 with adistal end 2236 of the sole plate 2214 aligned with the distal end 38 ofthe prosthetic foot blade 10. Alternatively, the distal end 2236 couldbe configured with a toe cap like toe cap 36 to fit over the distal end38. The elongated through holes 2213B ease fitting of the sole plate2214 to the prosthetic foot blade 10 given the curvature of theprosthetic foot blade 10 and the length of the posts 2235. FIG. 62 showstwo of the four knobs 2216 threaded to respective posts 2235. When theknobs 2216 are threaded to their respective posts 2235, the sole plate2214 is secured to the prosthetic foot blade 10 and is pulled againstthe bottom side 27 of the prosthetic foot blade 10.

FIG. 63 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot blade10 shown in fragmentary view and in an unloaded state, and a tractionsystem 3012 coupled to the prosthetic foot blade 10 via the strap 18 andan alternative latch assembly 3016. The traction system 3012 includesthe sole plate 14, outsole 24, and midsole 26 as described herein. Thealternative latch assembly 3016 is the same as latch assembly 16 of FIG.2 except that an alternative latch mount 3016B is used in place of latchmount 16B and has an alternative latch base 3035 used in place of latchbase 35. Because the latch base 3035 is disposed on the top side 23 ofthe prosthetic foot blade 10, it will be in compression when theprosthetic foot blade 10 experiences longitudinal bending during dynamicloading. This configuration of a latch base 3035 can flex in response tothe compressive forces of the prosthetic foot blade 10, such as when awearer is moving forward with the prosthetic foot blade 10 in contactwith a ground surface, reducing the resistance to compression andassociated shear forces on the latch base 3035 in comparison to a latchbase 35 or another latch base of uniform width and/or flexibility alongits length and of the same overall length.

FIG. 64 is a perspective view of the latch mount 3016B. The latch base3035 includes a plate portion 3035A, an anchor portion 3035B, and ahinge portion 3035C flexibly connecting the plate portion 3035A and theanchor portion 3035B. A cover 3036 (not shown in FIG. 63 ) covers theanchor portion 3035B for aesthetic purposes to hide adhesive 3038 (shownin FIG. 63 ) that may be applied to and mechanically secure the anchorportion 3035B to the prosthetic foot blade 10 as discussed herein.

The front and rear catches 32, 34 are secured to the plate portion 3035Avia fasteners extending through fastener openings 114 (shown in FIG. 69) as described with respect to FIGS. 13 and 14 . FIG. 69 shows thefastener openings 114 and alignment features 116B in the plate portion3035A.

As shown in FIG. 63 , the hinge portion 3035C extends rearward from theplate portion 3035A over the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade10, and the anchor portion 3035B is disposed rearward of the hingeportion 3035C. The anchor portion 3035B is fixed relative to the topside 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 with adhesive 3038, as discussedherein, to mechanically secure the latch base 3035 to the prostheticfoot blade 10. The hinge portion 3035C is disposed above and is unfixedto the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10. In the exampleshown, the hinge portion 3035C is only a single strip connecting theplate portion 3035A and the anchor portion 3035B.

As shown in FIG. 69 , the hinge portion 3035C is narrower than the plateportion 3035A and also narrower than the anchor portion 3035B. Forexample, the hinge portion 3035C has a width W1, the plate portion 3035Ahas width W2, and the anchor portion 3035B has a width W3. Both widthsW2 and W3 are greater than width W1, where widths are measured along thetransverse axis T, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L.Additionally, the anchor portion 3035B has a length L1 that is shorterthan the length L2 of the plate portion 3035A, and both of which areless than the overall length L3 of the latch base 35.

The latch base 3035 may comprise a composite material, such as at leastone of a carbon fiber composite, a glass fiber composite, or acarbon-glass fiber composite. In the example shown, the latch base 3035comprises layers of composite material, with fewer layers at the hingeportion 3035C than at the plate portion 3035A and/or than at the anchorportion 3035B, at least partially accounting for its greater flexibilitythan the plate portion 3035A and/or the anchor portion 3035B. Forexample, the latch base 3035 may comprise at least one layer ofcomposite sheet material at the hinge portion 3035C, and a greaternumber of layers of composite sheet material at the anchor portion 3035Band at the plate portion 3035A. Referring to FIG. 67 , a single sheet3039 of the composite sheet material may extend in each of the plateportion 3035A, the hinge portion 3035C, and the anchor portion 3035B,while additional layers 3041, 3042 of composite sheet material may beattached to the single sheet 3039 at the plate portion 3035A and at theanchor portion 3035B on the top side, the bottom side, or on both thetop side and the bottom side of the single sheet 3039. FIG. 67schematically represents the single sheet 3039, and additional layers3041 and 3042.

These features enable the hinge portion 3035C to be relatively flexibleand soft and enable relative movement of the plate portion 3035A and theanchor portion 3035B (by folding of the hinge portion 3035C, forexample), and prevent compressive forces applied by the flexingprosthetic foot blade 10 from extending entirely through the latch base3035 from the front of the plate portion 3035A to the rear of the anchorportion 3035B.

FIG. 65 is a fragmentary perspective view with the prosthetic foot blade10 in a relatively unloaded state, and FIG. 66 is a fragmentaryperspective view with the prosthetic foot blade 10 in a relativelyloaded state. For example, relatively unloaded state may be when worn bya wearer who is standing still, and the relatively loaded state may bewhen the wearer is moving forward with the prosthetic foot blade 10 incontact with a ground surface, resulting in higher loads. As shown inFIG. 65 , the hinge portion 3035C is at least partially spaced apartfrom the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 when the prostheticfoot blade 10 is in the relatively unloaded state. More specifically, agap G exists between at least part of the bottom side 3037 of the hingeportion 3035C and the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 in therelatively unloaded state of FIG. 65 . The hinge portion 3035C flexes tomove from being spaced apart by the gap G and into contact with the topside 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 in the relatively loaded stateof FIG. 66 (e.g., the gap G disappears along the part of the bottom side3037 that was spaced apart in FIG. 65 ). The hinge portion 3035C maystill be spaced apart from the top side 23 immediately adjacent to theplate portion 3035A due to a height difference of the plate portion3035A above the top side 23 (which may be due to the additional layersat the plate portion 3035A and/or due to a compressible layer 3050discussed herein).

FIG. 67 is a cross-sectional view taken at lines 67-67 in FIG. 64showing the latch base 3035, a compressible layer 3050 disposablebetween the plate portion 3035A and the top side 23 of the prostheticfoot blade 10, a double-sided adhesive layer 3052, such as double-sidedadhesive tape 3052 secured to the bottom side 3055 of the compressiblelayer 3050 and securable to the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade10 (see FIG. 66 ), the catches 32, 34, and the cover 3036.

FIG. 68 is an exploded view of a portion of the latch mount 3016B ofFIG. 67 , showing the latch base 3035, the compressible layer 3050, andthe double-sided adhesive tape 3052 of FIG. 67 . The compressible layer3050 is secured to the bottom side 3040 of the plate portion 3035A andis disposed at the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 when thelatch base 3035 is secured to the prosthetic foot blade 10. For example,the compressible layer 3050 may comprise foam. The compressible layer3050 allows the plate portion 3035A to effectively float above the topside 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 as the compressible layer 3050can resiliently compress during longitudinal bending of the prostheticfoot blade 10, minimizing the compressive force of the prosthetic footblade 10 transferred to the plate portion 3035A.

In another example, no double-sided adhesive tape 3052 or other adhesivefasteners or other securing features secure the compressible layer 3050to the top side 23, with only the tensioned strap 18 holding thecompressible layer 3050 against the top side 23. The compressible layer3050 is thus unfixed to the prosthetic foot blade 10 in such an example,but held against the top side 23 by tension in the strap 18 when thelever 16A is latched to the latch mount 3016B. In still another example,instead of double-sided adhesive tape 3052, adhesive (such as liquidadhesive) may be applied between the top side 23 of the prosthetic footblade 10 and the bottom side 3055 of the compressible layer 3050.

Because the compressible layer 3050 is not secured to and does notextend under the hinge portion 3035C, the plate portion 3035A is spacedfurther above the top side 23 than the hinge portion 3035C, creating abend 3058. The bend 3058 may be referred to as a pre-bend, as it existseven when the prosthetic foot blade 10 is in the relatively unloadedstate. The bend 3058 encourages flexing of the latch base 3035 to occurat the bend 3058 during dynamic loading of the prosthetic foot blade 10.

FIG. 69 is a plan view of the latch base 3035 of FIG. 68 . The latchbase 3035 includes through holes 3060 extending through the anchorportion 3035B. Referring to FIGS. 65 and 67 , the adhesive 3038 extendson the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 under the anchorportion 3035B, through the anchor portion 3035B at the through holes3060, and over at least a portion of a top surface 3062 of the anchorportion 3035B when the latch base 3035 is secured to the prosthetic footblade 10. Adhesive 3038 also extends on the bottom side 3043 of thelatch base 3035 at the anchor portion 3035B (e.g., between the anchorportion 3035B and the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10). Withthe adhesive 3038 extending not only between the bottom side 3043 of thelatch base 3035 and the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10, butalso through the latch base 3035 and onto the top surface 3062 of thelatch base 3035, the adhesive 3038 serves as a mechanical attachment,such as a fastener.

Referring to FIGS. 69 and 72 , in another aspect, the adhesive 3038 mayfurther extend around one or more outer edges 3066, 3068, and 3070 ofthe anchor portion 3035B, such as around a top edge 3066 and side edges3068, 3070 (shown in FIG. 69 and covered by the adhesive 3038 in FIG. 72), the adhesive 3038 therefore forming a three-sided or T-stop. Theadhesive 3038 serves as a mechanical end stop at the outer edges 3066,3068, 3070 of the anchor portion 3035B. Additionally, the adhesive 3038may extend over a top surface 3062 of the anchor portion 3035B, and mayconnect with the adhesive 3038 around the edges 3066, 3068, 3070. FIG.72 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot blade 10including adhesive 3038 in a first arrangement mechanically securing theanchor portion 3035B to the prosthetic foot blade 10.

Non-limiting examples of adhesive 3038 described herein includepolyurethane adhesive and epoxy adhesive. For example, any of 3M™Scotch-Weld™ Urethane Adhesive DP640, 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Epoxy AdhesiveDP420, or 3M™Scotch-Weld™ Epoxy Adhesive DP125 may be used and areavailable from 3M Company of Saint Paul, Minn. USA.

FIG. 70 is a plan view of an alternative latch base 4035 for the latchassembly 3016 of FIG. 63 . The alternative latch base 4035 is alike inall aspects to latch base 3035, except that there are no through holes3060. To secure the anchor portion 3035B of the latch base 4035 to thetop side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10, adhesive 3038 may bedisposed on the top side 23 along one or more outer edges of the anchorportion 3035B, such as a rear edge 3066 (also referred to as a top edge3066) of the anchor portion 3035B rearward of the rear catch 34, as wellas along the side edges 3068, 3070. The outer edges 3066, 3068, and 3070shown in FIG. 70 are covered by the adhesive 3038 in FIG. 73 , which isa fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot blade 10 includingthe adhesive 3038 in a second arrangement mechanically securing theanchor portion 3035B to the prosthetic foot blade 10.

FIG. 71 is a plan view of an alternative latch base 5035 for a latchassembly 5016 shown in FIG. 74 , that is the same as the latch assembly3016 of FIG. 63 except with an alternative latch base 5035. Instead ofhinge portion 3035C configured as a single strip, the latch base 5035has a hinge portion 5035C that includes two strips 5035C1 and 5035C2spaced transversely apart from one another and connecting the plateportion 3035A and the anchor portion 3035B. An aperture 5068 is formedbetween and spaces apart the strips 5035C1 and 5035C2. Through holes3060 like those of FIG. 67 may extend through the anchor portion 3035B.The through holes 3060 may be the same number as in the latch base 3035,or may be a greater number. Through holes 3060 are not shown in FIG. 71, but are added in FIG. 74 , which shows the latch base 5035 secured tothe top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 with adhesive 3038.

The adhesive 3038 is applied to and extends between the bottom side ofthe latch base 5035 and the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10,through the through holes 3060 of the latch base 5035 and onto the topsurface 5062 of the latch base 5035. The adhesive 3038 also extendsaround the outer edges 3066, 3068, 3070, and 5072 of the anchor portion3035B, such as around the top edge 3066, side edges 3068, 3070, and anedge 5072 at the aperture 5068 (shown in FIG. 71 and covered by theadhesive 3038 in FIG. 74 ). The adhesive 3038 therefore forms afour-sided stop and serves as a mechanical attachment, such as afastener.

FIG. 75 is a schematic perspective fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade 10, showing a step of placing the latch mount 3016B at alocation 3071 on the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10. Forexample, the latch mount 3016B is moved adjacent to the prosthetic footblade 10 as indicated by arrow 3073 so that the double-sided adhesivetape 3052 is disposed on the top side 23 at the location 3071.

FIG. 76 is a schematic perspective fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade 10 showing another step of securing the latch mount 3016B tothe prosthetic foot blade 10 by pressing the latch mount 3016B and theprosthetic foot blade 10 together, as shown by arrows 3075, therebypressing the double-sided adhesive tape 3052 against the top side 23 ofthe prosthetic foot blade 10.

FIG. 77 is a schematic perspective fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade 10 showing another step of securing the latch mount 3016B tothe prosthetic foot blade 10 by mechanically securing the anchor portion3035B of the latch base 3035 to the prosthetic foot blade 10 withadhesive 3038 disposed on the bottom side of the anchor portion 3035B tobe disposed on the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 asdiscussed herein, with a hand 3072 shown in phantom.

FIG. 78 is a schematic perspective fragmentary view of the prostheticfoot blade 10 showing another step of securing the latch mount 3016B tothe prosthetic foot blade 10 by further mechanically securing the anchorportion 3035B of the latch base 3035 to the prosthetic foot blade 10 bydisposing adhesive 3038 along the outer edges 3066, 3068, and 3070 ofthe anchor portion 3035B. The adhesive 3038 placed on the bottom side ofthe anchor portion 3035B also extends through the through holes 3060onto the top surface 3062 and/or additional adhesive 3038 may be placedon the top surface 3062.

FIG. 79 is a plan view of the bottom side of an alternative latch base6035 for a latch assembly 6016 that is the same as the latch assembly 16of FIG. 2 except with the latch base 6035 replacing the latch base 35.The latch base 6035 is a flat plate identical to latch base 35 of FIG.14 , except with added through holes 3060. Fasteners 6020 are disposedat the fastener openings 114 (only some of which are labeled). Thecatches 32, 34 are fastened to the latch base 6035 at the fasteneropenings 114 by the fasteners 6020 and are indicated in FIG. 80 . Someof the through holes 3060 are disposed forward of the front catch 32 andsome of the through holes are disposed rearward of the rear catch 34.

Adhesive 3038 is disposed at the bottom side of the latch base 6035(e.g., between the latch base 6035 and the top side 23 of the prostheticfoot blade 10). The adhesive 3038 extends through the through holes 3060to the top side of the latch base 6035. Adhesive 3038 is also disposedaround an outer edge 5066 of the latch base 6035 as shown in FIG. 80 ,rearward of the rear catch 34. Adhesive 3038 disposed in these positionsmechanically secures the latch base 6035 to the prosthetic foot blade 10and acts as a mechanical stop. Accordingly, by adding the through holes3060 and adhesive 3038 as described, the flat plate latch base 6035better withstands the compressive forces due to dynamic loading of theprosthetic foot blade 10.

FIG. 81 is a plan view of an alternative latch base 7035 for a latchassembly 7016 shown in FIG. 82 . The latch assembly 7016 is the same aslatch assembly 16 of FIG. 2 except for the alternative latch base 7035replacing latch base 35. The latch base 7035 is referred to as a splitlatch base because it includes a front section 7035A and a rear section7035B, with a rear edge 7066 of the front section 7035A physically splitfrom a front edge 7068 of the rear section 7035B. Sectioning the latchbase 7035 with a transverse split lessens the length along theprosthetic foot blade 10 along which each section of the latch base 7035extends. Although the overall length of the latch base 7035 may be thesame as if there was no transverse split (e.g., as if the sections7035A, 7035B were unitary), a shorter section is subjected to lowercompressive forces than would be a longer section during dynamic loadingof the prosthetic foot blade 10, for example. The latch base 7035 alsoincludes a plurality of through holes 3060.

FIG. 82 is a fragmentary perspective view of the prosthetic foot blade10 and the latch assembly 7016 in a latched position and including thealternative latch base 7035. The sections 7035A, 7035B are adhered tothe top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10 with the edges 7066,7068 abutting as shown. Alternatively, the edges 7066 and 7068 may beslightly spaced apart from one another. Adhesive 3038 is disposed at thebottom side of the latch base 7035 (e.g., between the sections 7035A,7035B and the top side 23 of the prosthetic foot blade 10), and extendsthrough the through holes 3060 to the top side of the sections 7035A,7035B, mechanically securing the latch base 7035 to the prosthetic footblade 10. Adhesive 3038 is also disposed around a front edge 7067 of thelatch base 7035 forward of the front catch 32 and around a rear edge7069 of the latch base 7035 rearward of the rear catch 34. The adhesive3038 creates mechanical stops at the edges 7067 and 7069, as shown inFIG. 82 .

The following Clauses provide example configurations of a prostheticblade traction system disclosed herein.

Clause 1. A traction system for an ambulatory support, the tractionsystem comprising: a sole plate couplable to a distal end of theambulatory support to extend under a bottom side of the ambulatorysupport; a latch assembly including: a front catch and a rear catch bothfixable at a top side of the ambulatory support with the front catchnearer to the distal end of the ambulatory support than the rear catch,and a lever having a front end and a rear end, the front end releasablylatchable to the front catch and the rear end releasably latchable tothe rear catch when the lever is pivoted about the latched front end;and a strap secured to the lever and to the sole plate and placed intension when the sole plate is coupled to the distal end of theambulatory support and the lever is latched at the front end and therear end, the strap pulling the sole plate against the distal end andthe bottom side of the ambulatory support.

Clause 2. The traction system of clause 1, wherein the strap extendsthrough the lever between the front end and the rear end.

Clause 3. The traction system of any of clauses 1-2, further comprising:at least one sole layer secured at the bottom side of the sole plate andincluding a ground-engaging traction surface; and wherein the strap issecured to the bottom side of the sole plate between the sole plate andthe at least one sole layer.

Clause 4. The traction system of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the soleplate has a front wall disposed forward of the distal end of theambulatory support and a toe cap extending rearward from the front wallover the top side of the ambulatory support when the sole plate iscoupled to the ambulatory support.

Clause 5. The traction system of any of clauses 1-4, wherein a bottomwall of the sole plate is sufficiently flexible to move from arelatively flat state to a relatively curved state to conform with acurvature of the bottom side of the ambulatory support when the strap isplaced in tension.

Clause 6. The traction system of any of clauses 1-5, wherein the frontcatch defines a front pocket opening toward the rear catch and the rearcatch defines a rear pocket opening toward the front catch; and thefront end of the lever includes a front lip captured in the front pocketwhen the front end latches to the front catch and the rear end of thelever includes a rear lip captured in the rear pocket when the rear endlatches to the rear catch.

Clause 7. The traction system of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the leverincludes: a first latch body including the front end of the lever; asecond latch body coupled to the first latch body and including the rearend of the lever; and a biasing member engaging the first latch body andthe second latch body and biasing the front end apart from the rear end,the front end movable toward the rear end to release the lever from therear catch under a force opposing a force of the biasing member.

Clause 8. The traction system of clause 7, wherein the first latch bodyincludes an intermediate wall disposed rearward of the front end, thesecond latch body includes a protrusion disposed between the front endand the intermediate wall, the biasing member is disposed between therear end and the intermediate wall and forces the intermediate wallagainst the protrusion.

Clause 9. The traction system of clause 7, wherein: the first latch bodyincludes side walls; the second latch body includes side walls disposedadjacent to the side walls of the first latch body; and the side wallsof one of the first latch body and the second latch body includeflanges, and the side walls of the other of the first latch body and thesecond latch body include slots, and the flanges fit within the slots.

Clause 10. The traction system of any of clauses 1-9, furthercomprising: an adjustment screw extending longitudinally within thelever and interfacing with the strap; and wherein a position of theadjustment screw is adjustable to adjust tension in the strap when thelever is latched at the front end and the rear end.

Clause 11. The traction system of any of clauses 1-10, wherein: thelatch assembly further includes a latch base securable to the top sideof the ambulatory support; and the front and rear catches are secured tothe latch base.

Clause 12. The traction system of clause 11, wherein a portion of thelatch base extends forward of the front catch along the top side of theambulatory support.

Clause 13. The traction system of clause 11, wherein: the latch baseincludes a plate portion, an anchor portion, and a hinge portionflexibly connecting the plate portion and the anchor portion; the frontand rear catches are secured to the plate portion; the anchor portion isfixed relative to the top side of the ambulatory support, and the hingeportion is unfixed to the top side of the ambulatory support when thelatch base is secured to the ambulatory support.

Clause 14. The traction system of clause 13, wherein: the hinge portionis at least partially spaced apart from the top side of the ambulatorysupport when the ambulatory support is in relatively unloaded state and,optionally, is in contact with the top side of the ambulatory support asthe ambulatory support flexes in a relatively loaded state.

Clause 15. The traction system of any of clauses 13-14, wherein thehinge portion extends rearward from the plate portion over the top sideof the ambulatory support, and the anchor portion is disposed rearwardof the hinge portion when the latch base is secured to the ambulatorysupport.

Clause 16. The traction system of any of clauses 13-15, furthercomprising: a compressible layer secured to a bottom side of the plateportion and disposed at the top side of the ambulatory support when thelatch base is secured to the ambulatory support.

Clause 17. The traction system of clause 16, wherein the compressiblelayer comprises foam.

Clause 18. The traction system of any of clauses 16-17, wherein thecompressible layer is unfixed to the top side of the ambulatory supportand held against the top side of the ambulatory support by tension inthe strap when the lever is latched.

Clause 19. The traction system of any of clauses 16-17, furthercomprising: a double-sided adhesive layer disposed between thecompressible layer and the top side of the ambulatory support andfurther securing the latch base to the ambulatory support.

Clause 20. The traction system of any of clauses 13-19, wherein thehinge portion is either or both of narrower and thinner than the plateportion and the anchor portion.

Clause 21. The traction system of any of clauses 13-20, wherein theanchor portion is shorter than the plate portion.

Clause 22. The traction system of any of clauses 13-21, wherein thelatch base comprises at least one of a carbon fiber composite, a glassfiber composite, or a carbon-glass fiber composite.

Clause 23. The traction system of any of clauses 13-22, wherein thelatch base includes at least one layer of composite sheet material atthe hinge portion, and a greater number of layers of composite sheetmaterial at the anchor portion and at the plate portion.

Clause 24. The traction system of any of clauses 13-23, wherein thehinge portion comprises only a single strip connecting the plate portionand the anchor portion, or comprises two or more strips spacedtransversely apart from one another and connecting the plate portion andthe anchor portion.

Clause 25. The traction system of any of clauses 13-24, wherein theanchor portion includes through holes, and further comprising: adhesiveextending between the anchor portion and the top side of the ambulatorysupport, through the through holes, and over at least a portion of a topsurface of the anchor portion when the latch base is secured to theambulatory support.

Clause 26. The traction system of any of clauses 13-25, furthercomprising: adhesive extending between the anchor portion and the topside of the ambulatory support, and around an outer edge of the anchorportion when the latch base is secured to the ambulatory support.

Clause 27. The traction system of any of clauses 13-26, furthercomprising: a cover secured over the anchor portion.

Clause 28. The traction system of any of clauses 11-27, wherein thelatch base has through holes extending through the latch base, andfurther comprising: adhesive extending through the through holes, andover at least a portion of a top surface of latch base when the latchbase is secured to the ambulatory support.

Clause 29. The traction system of any of clauses 11-28, wherein at leastsome of the through holes are disposed forward of the front catch and/orat least some of the through holes are disposed rearward of the rearcatch.

Clause 30. The traction system of any of clauses 11-29, furthercomprising: adhesive disposed along a front edge of the latch baseforward of the front catch and/or along a rear edge of the latch baserearward of the rear catch when the latch base is secured to theambulatory support.

Clause 31. The traction system of any of clauses 11-30, wherein thelatch base includes a front section and a rear section with a rear edgeof the front section split from a front edge of the rear section.

Clause 32. The traction system of any of clauses 1-31, wherein the latchassembly is a spring-loaded, off-center draw latch.

Clause 33. The traction system of any of clauses 1-32, wherein the leverincludes a grip protruding at the rear end.

Clause 34. The traction system of any of clauses 1-33, wherein the soleplate defines integral side clamps that extend around opposing sides ofthe ambulatory support and over the top side of the ambulatory supportwhen the sole plate is coupled to the ambulatory support.

Clause 35. The traction system of any of clauses 1-34, wherein theambulatory support is one of a prosthetic foot blade or a crutch.

Clause 36. A traction system for an ambulatory support in particularaccording to any one of the preceding clauses, the traction systemcomprising: a sole plate couplable to a distal end of the ambulatorysupport to extend under a bottom side of the ambulatory support; anattachment system including a threaded post extending from the soleplate and a knob securable to an end of the threaded post; wherein theambulatory support defines a through hole extending through theambulatory support from the bottom side to a top side of the ambulatorysupport; and wherein the threaded post extends through the through holewhen the sole plate is coupled to the distal end of the ambulatorysupport, and the sole plate is retained against the bottom side of theambulatory support when the knob is secured to the threaded post.

Clause 37. The traction system of clause 36, further comprising: atether secured to the knob and securable to the top side of theambulatory support to secure the knob to the ambulatory support.

Clause 38. The traction system of clause 36, further comprising: a bossextending from the top side of the ambulatory support; and wherein thethrough hole extends through the boss with a longitudinal axis of thethrough hole at an acute angle to the top side of the ambulatorysupport.

Clause 39. The traction system of clause 36, further comprising: a bossextending from the top side of the ambulatory support; wherein thethrough hole extends through the boss; and wherein the knob has a flangelarger than a knob opening of the boss so that the knob is retained bythe boss regardless of whether the knob is secured to the end of thethreaded post.

Clause 40. A traction system for an ambulatory support in particularaccording to any one of the preceding clauses, the traction systemcomprising: a latch assembly operable to latch a sole plate to a distalend of the ambulatory support, the latch assembly including: a latchbase fixable at a top side of the ambulatory support; wherein the latchbase includes a plate portion, an anchor portion, and a hinge portionflexibly connecting the plate portion and the anchor portion; andwherein the anchor portion is fixable relative to the top side of theambulatory support and the hinge portion is disposed above and unfixedto the top side of the ambulatory support when the latch base is securedto the ambulatory support.

Clause 41. The traction system of clause 40, further comprising: acompressible layer disposed between the plate portion and the top sideof the ambulatory support when the latch base is secured to theambulatory support.

Clause 42. The traction system of clause 40 or clause 41, furthercomprising: a front catch and a rear catch both secured to the plateportion of the latch base with the front catch nearer to the distal endof the ambulatory support than the rear catch; and a lever having afront end and a rear end, the front end releasably latchable to thefront catch and the rear end releasably latchable to the rear catch whenthe lever is pivoted about the latched front end.

To assist and clarify the description of various embodiments, variousterms are defined herein. Unless otherwise indicated, the followingdefinitions apply throughout this specification (including the claims).Additionally, all references referred to are incorporated herein intheir entirety.

“A”, “an”, “the”, “at least one”, and “one or more” are usedinterchangeably to indicate that at least one of the items is present. Aplurality of such items may be present unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. All numerical values of parameters (e.g., ofquantities or conditions) in this specification, unless otherwiseindicated expressly or clearly in view of the context, including theappended claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instancesby the term “about” whether or not “about” actually appears before thenumerical value. “About” indicates that the stated numerical valueallows some slight imprecision (with some approach to exactness in thevalue; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If theimprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the artwith this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates atleast variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring andusing such parameters. In addition, a disclosure of a range is to beunderstood as specifically disclosing all values and further dividedranges within the range.

The terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” are inclusive andtherefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations,elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition ofone or more other features, steps, operations, elements, or components.Orders of steps, processes, and operations may be altered when possible,and additional or alternative steps may be employed. As used in thisspecification, the term “or” includes any one and all combinations ofthe associated listed items. The term “any of” is understood to includeany possible combination of referenced items, including “any one of” thereferenced items. The term “any of” is understood to include anypossible combination of referenced claims of the appended claims,including “any one of” the referenced claims.

For consistency and convenience, directional adjectives may be employedthroughout this detailed description corresponding to the illustratedembodiments. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatterms such as “above”, “below”, “upward”, “downward”, “top”, “bottom”,etc., may be used descriptively relative to the figures, withoutrepresenting limitations on the scope of the invention, as defined bythe claims.

The term “longitudinal” refers to a direction extending along a lengthof a component. The term “forward” or “anterior” is used to refer to thegeneral direction from a rear toward a front of a component or system,and the term “rearward” or “posterior” is used to refer to the oppositedirection, i.e., the direction from the front toward the rear. In somecases, a component may be identified with a longitudinal axis as well asa forward and rearward longitudinal direction along that axis. Thelongitudinal direction or axis may also be referred to as ananterior-posterior direction or axis.

The term “transverse” refers to a direction extending along a width of acomponent. For example, a transverse direction of a shoe extends betweena lateral side and a medial side of the shoe. The transverse directionor axis may also be referred to as a lateral direction or axis or amediolateral direction or axis.

The term “vertical” refers to a direction generally perpendicular toboth the lateral and longitudinal directions. For example, in caseswhere a sole is planted flat on a ground surface, the vertical directionmay extend from the ground surface upward. It will be understood thateach of these directional adjectives may be applied to individualcomponents of a sole. The term “upward” or “upwards” refers to thevertical direction toward a top of the component. The term “downward” or“downwards” refers to the vertical direction opposite the upwarddirection, toward the bottom of a component.

The “inner side” of a component refers to the side or surface of thecomponent that is (or will be) oriented toward the interior of thecomponent or an assembly that includes the component. The “outer side”or “exterior” of a component refers to the side or surface of thecomponent that is (or will be) oriented away from the interior of thecomponent or an assembly including the component. In some cases, othercomponents may be between the inner side of a component and the interiorin the assembly. Similarly, other components may be between an outerside of a component and the space external to the assembly. Further, theterms “inward” and “inwardly” refer to the direction toward the interiorof the component or assembly, and the terms “outward” and “outwardly”refer to the direction toward the exterior of the component or assembly.In addition, the term “proximal” refers to a direction that is nearer abody part on which a component or assembly is worn or to which it isattached. Likewise, the term “distal” refers to a relative position thatis further away from a body part on which the component is worn or towhich it is attached. Thus, the terms proximal and distal may beunderstood to provide generally opposing terms to describe relativespatial positions.

While various embodiments have been described, the description isintended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and it will be apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments andimplementations are possible that are within the scope of theembodiments. Any feature of any embodiment may be used in combinationwith or substituted for any other feature or element in any otherembodiment unless specifically restricted. Accordingly, the embodimentsare not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims andtheir equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be madewithin the scope of the attached claims.

While several modes for carrying out the many aspects of the presentteachings have been described in detail, those familiar with the art towhich these teachings relate will recognize various alternative aspectsfor practicing the present teachings that are within the scope of theappended claims. It is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpretedas illustrative and exemplary of the entire range of alternativeembodiments that an ordinarily skilled artisan would recognize asimplied by, structurally and/or functionally equivalent to, or otherwiserendered obvious based upon the included content, and not as limitedsolely to those explicitly depicted and/or described embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A traction system for an ambulatory support, thetraction system comprising: a sole plate couplable to a distal end ofthe ambulatory support to extend under a bottom side of the ambulatorysupport; a latch assembly including: a latch base having through holes;a front catch and a rear catch both fixable to the latch base with thefront catch nearer to the distal end of the ambulatory support than therear catch; adhesive between the latch base and one of a top side andthe bottom side of the ambulatory support and extending through thethrough holes to secure the latch base to the one of the top side andthe bottom side of the ambulatory support; and a lever having a frontend and a rear end, the front end releasably latchable to the frontcatch and the rear end releasably latchable to the rear catch when thelever is pivoted about the latched front end; and a strap secured to thelever and to the sole plate and placed in tension when the sole plate iscoupled to the distal end of the ambulatory support and the lever islatched at the front end and the rear end, the strap pulling the soleplate against the distal end and the bottom side of the ambulatorysupport.
 2. The traction system of claim 1, wherein the adhesive extendsthrough the through holes and onto to the top side of the latch base. 3.The traction system of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is further disposedaround an outer edge of the latch base, rearward of the rear catch. 4.The traction system of claim 3, wherein the adhesive is further disposedat side edges of the latch base extending from the outer edge.
 5. Thetraction system of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is further disposedaround an outer edge of the latch base, forward of the front catch. 6.The traction system of claim 5, wherein the adhesive is further disposedat side edges of the latch base extending from the outer edge.
 7. Thetraction system of claim 1, wherein the latch base is a split latch basethat includes a front section and a rear section, the rear sectionphysically split from the front section; and wherein the front catch isfixed to the front section and the rear catch is fixed to the rearsection.
 8. The traction system of claim 7, wherein a rear edge of thefront section abuts a front edge of the rear section.
 9. The tractionsystem of claim 1, wherein: the latch base includes a plate portion, ananchor portion, and a hinge portion flexibly connecting the plateportion and the anchor portion; the front and rear catches are securedto the plate portion; the anchor portion is fixed relative to the one ofthe top side and the bottom side of the ambulatory support; and thehinge portion and the plate portion are unfixed to the one of the topside and the bottom side of the ambulatory support when the latch baseis secured to the ambulatory support.
 10. The traction system of claim9, further comprising: a compressible layer secured to the plate portionand disposed at the one of the top side and the bottom side of theambulatory support and unfixed to the one of the top side and the bottomside of the ambulatory support when the latch base is secured to theambulatory support.
 11. The traction system of claim 10, wherein thecompressible layer is not secured to and does not extend between thehinge portion and the ambulatory support so that the plate portion isspaced further from the one of the top side and the bottom side of theambulatory support than the hinge portion, creating a bend in the hingeportion.
 12. A traction system for an ambulatory support, the tractionsystem comprising: a sole plate couplable to a distal end of theambulatory support to extend under a bottom side of the ambulatorysupport; and a latch assembly secured to the ambulatory support, thelatch assembly including a latch body pivotable relative to theambulatory support; wherein one of the sole plate and the latch assemblyincludes a hook that engages the other of the sole plate and the latchassembly when the latch body is pivoted relative to the ambulatorysupport, pulling the sole plate against the distal end and the bottomside of the ambulatory support.
 13. The traction system of claim 12,wherein: the latch assembly includes an additional latch body; the hookis configured as a hooked end of the additional latch body; and the soleplate includes an aperture through which the hooked end extends.
 14. Thetraction system of claim 13, wherein: the sole plate includes an outsoleattachment portion at the distal end of the ambulatory support and amidportion between the aperture and the outsole attachment portion; andwherein the midportion is more flexible than the outsole attachmentportion.
 15. The traction system of claim 12, wherein: the latchassembly includes a transverse bar configured to be drawn inward againstthe ambulatory support and/or rearward when the latch body is pivotedrelative to the ambulatory support; the hook is configured as one ormore hooked portions of one or more stepped shoulders of the sole plateextending at sides of the ambulatory support; and the transverse barengages the one or more hooked portions.
 16. A traction system for anambulatory support, the traction system comprising: a sole platecouplable to a distal end of the ambulatory support to extend under abottom side of the ambulatory support; and an attachment systemincluding: a threaded post extending from the sole plate; and a knobsecurable to an end of the threaded post; wherein the ambulatory supportdefines a through hole extending through the ambulatory support from thebottom side to a top side of the ambulatory support; and wherein thethreaded post extends through the through hole when the sole plate iscoupled to the distal end of the ambulatory support, and the sole plateis retained against the bottom side of the ambulatory support when theknob is secured to the threaded post.
 17. The traction system of claim16, further comprising: a tether secured to the knob and to theambulatory support to secure the knob to the ambulatory support.
 18. Thetraction system of claim 16, further comprising: a boss extending fromthe ambulatory support; and wherein the through hole extends through theboss with a longitudinal axis of the through hole at an acute angle tothe ambulatory support.
 19. The traction system of claim 16, furthercomprising: a boss extending from the ambulatory support; wherein thethrough hole extends through the boss; and wherein the knob has a flangelarger than a knob opening of the boss so that the knob is retained bythe boss regardless of whether the knob is secured to the end of thethreaded post.